


A Lone Wolf

by NeonDomino



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2015-02-05
Packaged: 2018-02-14 05:59:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 80,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2180607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonDomino/pseuds/NeonDomino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus Lupin has a secret. He's a werewolf. That's why he won't let anyone be his friend and pulls away. </p>
<p>Sirius and James are determined to be friends with the quiet boy they share a room with but what will they make of his secret? Especially after someone sends them to the Shrieking Shack to find him during a full moon. Set at the beginning of their 7th year. Slash.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Another morning of waking up in complete and utter agony. Feeling each and every cut that was on his body. He hissed as a slight chill came into the air and made them all the more sensitive. The blood was tricking down his body from the worst openings and he could feel each and every drop as it made its descent.

For what felt like a long time he lay still, trying to calm his mind and focus on what he needed to do. He slowly managed to start moving around, testing his body for unknown breaks and injuries.

He let out a sigh in relief as he realised that nothing had broken or dislocated, although he felt a few pulled muscles, but those he could deal with. He slowly stood up and wrapped the blanket around himself, and just in time as he heard Madame Pomfrey coming up the stairs.

She came in with a smile full of pity and asked him how he was doing. He answered politely and offered her a weak smile in return, but on the inside wondered if she believed him every time he answered. He wouldn't have believed it himself, if someone said the same after going through that. He always found it a silly question, because he had just undergone two transformations, one from Human to Wolf and then transforming back. It was pure agony.

She handed him a bundle of clothes and went to wait outside the door and he slowly got dressed.

It was this precise moment every month when he felt the loneliest, when he woke up in agony, alone. He had been doing it by himself since he was nine years old, His mother used to be there with a blanket from when he first started turning when he was a small child, but slowly his mother withdrew as he got older. At first she would be waiting, then when he was about eight, she would turn up after he woke up and called for her. That also stopped when he was old enough to go to Hogwarts.

When he went home on holidays, he would awake to find clean clothes and a blanket put by the door and that's what hurt the most. One of his parents had come in whilst he was asleep and put the stuff there and left. Left their own son laying on the floor in pain, injured and bleeding.

What he wouldn't give to wake up with someone there, someone who would care about him. He didn't want their pity or sympathy, just to not wake up alone. Always alone.

Just to have a friend.

He made his way out of the room and followed Madame Pomfrey up the passage and into the school. The women stopping every so often to ask if he was alright, which annoyed him, but he never showed this and he always answered politely. Not that he didn't like the women, he had a closer relationship with her then with his own parents, she actually seemed to care a little bit. His parents done the bare minimum.

But he still felt so alone.

Finally they arrived at the hospital wing and he laid down so he could be healed. It took a long time, many cuts and bites where he mauled himself would take time to heal. He smiled and nodded as Madame Pomfrey told him this, instead of snapping at her that he knew. Snapping wouldn't help, she was only helping after all. She was showing him kindness, and for that he kept his frustration to himself.

He glanced around and saw only two other students in there, both with their eyes shut and assumed that they were asleep. If he had been more observant he would have noticed one of these boys had taken a peek at him coming into the hospital wing and was starting to notice a pattern in his days off. No, Remus didn't notice this.

Finally he was given the all clear to return to his dorm and take the day off lessons.

Remus walked through the common room as though he wasn't going to collapse, he walked up to the dorm in the same way. He didn't want anyone to notice because if they did they might start asking questions, he acted like he was fine. The bags under his eyes could be explained by lack of sleep, and no-one would see the scars up and down his body as he always made sure to wear something with long sleeves.

He opened the door to his dorm to see two boys getting ready for lessons.

They looked up at him and greeted him. Over the years he had somewhat gotten to know the boys he shared a room with but never let himself become to close with them.

Occasionally he would help Sirius Black with homework, and in return Sirius would always bring him back a set of notes from all the lessons he missed when he 'went to visit his mother'... well, that was the excuse he used, they would freak out should they know the truth - that they were sharing a room with a monster.

Not that the boys didn't try - they offered him something he wanted more than anything; friendship.

But he held back from that, What good was making friends if they guessed what he was and left him - left him the way his parents left him? Yes, his parents were still there but it was clear it was because they had to be. He knew that they didn't want him. They may as well be strangers rather than him being their child... No, he couldn't allow himself the luxury of friends.

Better to not have any friends to lose, then to lose someone he selfishly allowed himself to get attached to.

Surely its just easier to be alone. He had gotten used to it over the years after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Remus' eyes met a pair of grey eyes and he looked away quickly. He could see concern in those eyes and didn't want the questions to start again. He quickly grabbed his things and started for the bathroom without a word.

He paid no attention to the pair of grey eyes that followed his every movement.

He didn't see the amused Hazel eyed boy making kissing faces towards the boy with the grey eyes and for him to roll his eyes and grin in response.

He just made his way to the bathroom. As he reached the door he heard someone ask him a question.

"How's your mum doing?" Sirius Black asked him in his smooth tones that made Remus shiver slightly.

Remus turned and looked at him for a moment, trying to school his features. "She's a little bit better than usual."

Sirius gave him a smile that made his breath catch. "That's good. Will that mean you go back and visit less... or what?"

Remus forced a smile onto his face. "I'll just have to see how her recovery goes."

Sirius watched him turn back around and open the door.

"You're staring again," James said, once Remus had locked himself in the bathroom. Sirius let out a pained sigh. "Do you blame me, his arse is so..." He bit his lip, trying to find the word.

"I don't need to know your current opinion on Remus' arse," James said with a sigh.

"Good because I don't have enough time to explain what I like about it," Sirius replied with a smirk.

They finished getting ready in silence.

Remus closed the bathroom door behind him and locked it. He let out a breath and slowly made his way to the shower, tenderly and carefully washing every inch of his body, taking extra care around the scars and wounds he had caused himself that month. They were agony to the touch.

Slowly he managed and then got himself into his pyjamas and slowly made his way out to go to bed. The dorm was empty and Remus dragged the covers over himself and took one of the potions he had been given for pain and fell asleep within minutes.

"I think we need to speak to Professor McGonagall again," Sirius decided.

"She said that there's nothing wrong with him?" James replied.

"There's gotta be, he goes home to his family and comes back hurt. Monthly without fail!" Sirius was frowning, trying to work out what to do.

"Maybe there's an explanation?" James said.

"What could it be, someone is hurting him and I can't let it happen again."

"Mate I don't like it either, but McGonagall and Dumbledore have both already told you that he's fine. What next?"

"I borrow the cloak and... and," Sirius paused in thought, trying desperately to come up with a plan.

"And what? You stalk him at his home where he's looking after his sick mother?"

"I've got to do something mate! What would you do if it were Evans?"

James froze, what would he do? Of course he would try help her, try talking to her. He would go to the teachers and insist they talk to her or even kidnap her from her home to keep her safe, well maybe not kidnap her but he would find a way to get her away from any danger.

"We'll try come up with something before he leaves again, we'll work something out," James replied, putting his hand on Sirius' shoulder.

"Like what? I can't keep seeing him come back like this time and time again. Look at him, it's not good for him. What if one month he goes and there's no Remus to return to us?"

James stayed silent. He knew how the situation was working in Sirius' head. He understood the other boys concerns but he couldn't think of anything to say or do to make the situation better or to help Remus if the Professors wouldn't help.

At least they had a few weeks before Remus would go back to think of something.


	3. Chapter 3

Sirius took that day to think about everything that was going on and examine the theories that he had developed over the months. He concluded that Remus was suffering from abuse at home.

Obviously, a kind person like Remus would go home and look after his mother, that's the kind of person he was, but someone else - his father perhaps - was hitting him, beating him and sending him back. It was just wrong.

Sirius had been on the receiving end of many beatings from his own father, as well as curses and hexes from his mother; the curses growing darker each time he returned home. He knew all about hiding the marks that wouldn't disappear by magic with long sleeves and locking doors to get changed alone, in the same way that he saw Remus trying to keep his body hidden from the boys.

He knew all about pretending all was well and he could tell when someone else was suffering like he had, and from the look on Remus' face each time he returned, he was in agony. He was tired and would miss lessons. He needed help. Professor McGonagall wasn't helping and nor was Dumbledore. Sirius was the only one who seemed to care, so it seemed that it was down to him and James to do something about it.

He put a lot of thought into what to do - whilst taking notes for Remus during lessons of course. He knew how important Remus' studies were to him and he wouldn't let him down with incomplete notes. In History of Magic, he asked Lily for her notes. The girl glared at him, but handed the notes over nonetheless. He could never stay awake for that lesson, so he used it instead to catch up on sleep that he missed the previous night worrying about Remus.

Sirius' decided he had two options; go to the Lupin's and see for himself what was going on, which wouldn't have been a problem if he knew where they lived and used James' cloak, or convince Remus not to go home. Unfortunately, he didn't know where they lived and if Remus had a choice in the matter in the first place, he wouldn't choose to return home, would he? Sirius only returned to his house when he had to, during the summer holidays, as his other holidays were spent at the castle... This summer, he had finally gotten away from his family and in stayed with the Potters.

Sirius realised that Remus didn't have an escape like he did. Remus didn't have anyone to talk to, to confide in. He didn't have anyone to take him in, should he run away. That must have been why he always went back - because he had no other choice.

Sirius knew what he had to do. He had to show Remus that he had someone who cared about him, a friend... someone to confide in, someone he could trust. Someone who knew what it was like going through such an awful home life.

He decided that after dinner, he would force Remus to listen to what he had to say. He would not ask questions, just explain why Remus should accept him as a friend, and then if Remus said no, Sirius would just somehow attach himself to him so that Remus would be forced to be best friends with Sirius Black. Then he would wait for Remus to come to him and ask him for help and he would do everything he could do help. If they made it till the end of the year, Remus would rent a place with him and James, safely away from evil family members.

He grinned at his idea. He just had to convince James and make sure Remus and James became friends too.

**~oOo~**

During dinner, James noticed Sirius putting aside some food and desert to bring up to the room for Remus. Sirius barely said a word during dinner, which was unlike him.

They left the hall and James asked him what was on his mind.

"When we leave school I want to invite Remus to stay with us, I don't want him going back to his family," came the reply.

James frowned for a moment as he thought about it. "Are you sure because..."

"We made a deal James. I agreed that if Evans ever needed help, no matter what it was, I would help her and you said that you would do the same should I care enough about someone," interrupted Sirius.

James nodded. "But living with us..."

"If it was Lily needing to live with us, what would you say?"

James sighed before answering. "I'd say yes without even asking you. You're right - Remus can stay with us."

"It's not like it'll be much different. I mean we live with him now and he doesn't have any annoying habits, he doesn't irritate us or anything. He's quite tidy, actually, so that helps."

"It's fine, I already said I agree... I shouldn't have questioned it. I just didn't realize..."

"Realise what, mate?"

"Well, it's just that this is the second time you've compared him to Lily... "

Sirius stared at him.

"Ok, well I like her, really like her. I know I'd be in love with her if she just gave me a chance because I feel that strongly for her... I feel a connection with her, even if she pretends it's not there. I know she feels it too, but you already know this. My point is, you talk about Remus as though he's your version of what Lily is to me."

Sirius looked away. "James, I can't explain... I really do care for the guy and don't want to see him hurt and I do feel something for him, maybe it's a bit more than wanting to just shag him, but..." Sirius muttered.

"I think you know exactly how you feel about him, but you're scared to admit that you, Sirius Black could have deeper feelings for someone. I also see the way you look at him, whether you admit anything or not and the looks you give him tell me all I need to know," James interrupted.

Sirius shrugged and continued walking towards the room.

"I'll drop it for now, but sooner or later you're going to have to admit it - especially if you want to use 'what would I do if it were Lily' again," James added.

They reached the room and Sirius turned to James. "I'm going to talk to him about what happened to me, so if you can be busy for a few hours?"

James grinned and nodded. "Sure thing, let me grab my broom and change and I'll be out of your way."

James opened the door and headed straight to his bed. Sirius walked over to Remus who was coming out of the bathroom.

"You missed dinner," Sirius said and Remus nodded.

"Just about to get some now," he replied, trying to step around Sirius.

Sirius held out the container to him with a grin. "No need, I brought you some up. Dinner's over now."

Remus looked surprised. "Oh, well thanks for that." He took the food as James rushed around and Sirius quickly cleared the books off Remus' desk and set them on his bed, grabbed a blanket and set it over the table, transfigured a plate and some cutlery and turned around with a grin.

"Your table is ready. I considered a glass with a flower like the muggles do but is that over doing it?"

Remus grinned. "I happen to like flowers when I eat... Plus, when have you ever worried about overdoing anything?"

Sirius smirked. "Good point," he said and with a flick of his wand a glass with a red rose appeared, and some candles lit up.

"A rose and candles - How romantic," Remus chuckled.

Sirius winked at him. "I can be when I want to be."

He walked over to his bed with his bag as James left the room with his broom and pulled out his notes for the day, and Lily's History of Magic notes.

"You fell asleep in History of Magic again?" Remus asked, tipping the chicken, potatoes and vegetables onto the plate, and draining the gravy out of the tub.

Sirius nodded. "Couldn't keep my eyes open. I don't know what it is about that lesson, but I can't concentrate no matter how hard I try."

Remus nodded. "Need me to go over it with you again?"

"Yeah, just let me know when you're able, thanks Remus."

Remus nodded and started to eat. Sirius jumped onto his bed and lay down, waiting for Remus to finish his food. He distracted himself until Remus had almost finished and then looked over to find Remus getting up.

"Did I mention I got desert too?"

Remus looked up.

"Its chocolate cake in case you're wondering, but I didn't have dessert myself so if you don't mind sharing it?."

Remus smiled shyly at him. "Chocolate cake? I don't mind sharing, I didn't expect anything brought up for me. It's really good of you Sirius."

Remus transfigured a couple of spoons as Sirius got up from the bed, he was slightly distracted by the other boy and as he moved the other container out of the way, he accidentally knocked a spoon to the floor. He reached down to pick it up and upon standing, his arm smacked into the corner of the table, hard.

"Fuck." He swore and turned away from Sirius as he felt a fresh cut on his arm pull and felt the blood on his arm.

Sirius looked at Remus and saw the other boy turn his back. He walked over, noticing blood staining his sleeve. He spun Remus around and started to push up his sleeve, but Remus tried to stop him.

"Lupin if you've cut your arm I can heal it."

Remus looked extremely uncomfortable as Sirius held fast and continued to roll his sleeve up. He caught sight of a deep cut the length of Remus' arm. Seeing the look on Remus' face, he didn't ask questions. He knew if he did, Remus would most likely bolt from the room.

"I have something that can heal this, let me?" he asked, his concerned gaze meeting a pair of worried green eyes. He didn't look back down at Remus' arm until the other boy nodded reluctantly.

He got a bowl of water, a towel and a flannel from the bathroom and some Essence of Dittany from his trunk. He knelt on the floor in front of Remus and pushed Remus' sleeve up. He slowly wiped the blood away and dried it carefully with the towel.

"This will sting," he said softly, looking up at Remus, who was staring into his own lap and biting his lip. Sirius carefully applied the Essence of Dittany and wrapped a bandage around Remus' arm until the wound was covered. He moved away a little bit and used his wand to bind the end of the bandage, ensuring it didn't unravel by itself.

"I'm not going to ask because I know you can't tell me anything. I think you should find a clean top, preferably with no blood on it and go change while I share the cake out for us," Sirius said softly to him. Remus nodded, relieved to get away from Sirius and quickly grabbed his pyjamas and went into the bathroom.

Sirius didn't look up as Remus came out of the bathroom and approached him.

"The cut on my arm..." he started.

Sirius Interrupted him, "Remus, every month you go home and you come back hurt. I don't want you to feel as though you're forced into tell me what happened, and I don't want an excuse. I'd rather you wait until you're ready to tell me yourself, I want you to tell me because you trust me as a friend."

"We're friends?" Remus asked, sounding completely confused.

"Well... Yeah, if you'd like. I mean I want to be your friend..."

Remus was unsure how to handle the situation. He knew he should refuse Sirius' offer of friendship, but Sirius had brought him up dinner - chicken and roast potatoes with vegetables smothered in gravy, just as Remus liked. Set the table up for him, and brought him chocolate cake and the days notes. Sirius had not questioned him over his arm, instead taking care in cleaning it and healing it as gently as possible. Remus couldn't find it in himself to refuse any longer. Sirius had been trying since their first year, it was now their seventh and Remus didn't want to be so alone anymore. It was nice to feel that Sirius cared..

"I'd like that," he said softly, meeting Sirius gaze.

Sirius pushed the larger piece of chocolate cake towards Remus with a grin. "Enjoy."

Remus tried to refuse the larger piece but Sirius was stubborn and the way he was grinning at Remus made Remus want to agree with him on just about anything.

They both picked up their forks and started the most awkward meal of their lives. Sirius quickly realized that Remus eating and enjoying chocolate cake, the way he closed his eyes and savoured each bite was almost too much for him to watch. He quickly looked away every time Remus opened his eyes again and looked at him.

Remus on the other hand could barely stand watching Sirius lick the chocolate off his fingers afterwards. It was as though the boy was doing it to torment him and Remus could barely pull his gaze away from Sirius.

They were both determined not to stare at the other boy, and were so busy trying to pretend they weren't staring that they didn't notice the other having the same difficulty. Finally they finished and Sirius tidied up, and pulled out some bottles of Butterbeer, handing one to Remus, who was finding the whole evening quite surreal and wondering if he had actually woken up at all.

After they had opened their drinks, Sirius decided it was time.

"So Remus, I know I said I'm not going to ask, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to talk and I expect you to listen to what I have to say," Sirius began.


	4. Chapter 4

Sirius had made the decision to tell Remus about his own past. He wanted Remus to realise that he wasn't alone in this, that others have suffered and made it through. That he could trust Sirius not to judge him. Maybe he could talk to Sirius if he realised that Sirius understood.

Remus felt worried, Sirius had seen his arm and was now making him sit down and talk. It made him wonder if Sirius had figured it out. He doubted it because if Sirius had, then he wouldn't have been so careful with cleaning Remus' arm.

Sirius cleared his throat nervously. He saw the panicked look in Remus' eyes.

"I ran away from home during the summer," he began. "My parents - my insane parents - got too much, I thought I'd die if I stayed there longer. They've been beating me for years, each summer that passed it got worse and worse until this one gone."

Remus was shocked. The conversation was unexpected and he didn't know what to say.

"It all started when I came here. When I was sorted into Gryffindor, well I think that was strike one, being friends with a member of the Potter family - that was strike two and strike three was refusing to believe all their pure-blood supremacy."

He bit his lip nervously. "At first the beatings were very few and far between. Mostly the first summer consisted of them screaming and shouting at me. The second and third summer I was ignored, unless they were beating me of course. It was as though I didn't exist the rest of the time, I wasn't even allowed to leave my room. No owls from friends, no going out of the house - I was a prisoner."

Remus went to speak but Sirius continued before any words could leave Remus' mouth.

"The next summer between fourth and fifth year that's when it got worse. The beatings got more regular. My brother who had found them ignoring me a high form of entertainment - even he was shocked at what was happening in our home. He would try calm them down, or would try to stop them but they didn't even listen to him. They hated me and they made it clear. They knew everything I done at school - every prank, every friend I had... Each and every thing I done was a taint on the family name. The Potters are considered Blood traitors so it was wrong for a Black and a Potter to be friends."

"Sirius..."

"Please Remus... just let me get this all out. It's not something I like to talk about and I don't think I can talk about it again." Sirius said quickly.

Remus nodded.

He was worried if Remus showed sympathy or distracted him from his words, he may lose the nerve to share. It was hard to talk about, he had suffered in silence for so long, scared to tell anyone what he was going through, scared of peoples reactions, and if they would believe him.

It wasn't until it was at his worst that he actually was able to leave, and he didn't want that for Remus.

"The summer between fifth and sixth year was the worst, the beatings were extreme. They happened daily and I wasn't able to leave the house. The wards stopped me leaving. I wasn't even allowed to go to the hospital, instead Reggie would wait until my parents were done and would sneak in, heal me, get me food and drag me to bed. This summer however was a whole other story.

It got worse, I was beaten unconscious at times and then the truth came out - a secret I'd been keeping was revealed when they found private things in my room and it was the ultimate betrayal to them. I was never going to be the heir to the family, that much was clear. They tried to force me to... take his mark - the dark mark, telling me it was a way to redeem myself, well, that and change who I am and who I want... I mean everything about myself. I refused and they would torture me daily, with hexes and finally after a nasty bout of the Cruciatus curse, they left me unconscious on the floor.

Reggie healed me but didn't wake me, and when I finally woke it was night-time. I believe it was so my parents would leave me alone. The wards had been taken down and my trunk was by the door. I thought my parents were giving me permission to leave, but there was a note in my pocket from my brother. It was spelled so once I finished reading, it would disappear, but it was basically a letter telling me to run tonight, because it could be my only chance. So I did. I snuck out and made my way up the road. I was close to collapsing and managed to summon the Knight Bus, I asked to go to the Potters, I couldn't even afford the bus, had to ask James for the money once I arrived at his."

He paused for a long time, Remus was unsure whether the story was finished. He stayed silent, watching Sirius. Sirius had lost himself in the story, picturing that moment in his head again, remembering how much it hurt to get off the floor, how unsteady his legs were and how he was terrified that one of his parents would follow him out or catch him leaving. He hadn't felt safe until he had actually got into the Potters home.

"My uncle came and sorted me out with some a few days later when he found out what had happened. He had a falling out with my mum over it, heard from Reggie that his name has been hexed off the family tree as well as mine."

Sirius rolled up one of his sleeves. "Cursed blade," he explained and pointed to some scars. "There are more because my parents are sadistic. They wanted to hear me scream but I wouldn't."

Remus had worked out what was going through Sirius' mind through the story.

"I know you didn't ask for my life story, but I just wanted to say if something is going on at your home, you don't have to be alone. Having friends can help you and even save your life."

He reached out and put his hand on Remus' arm, resisting the urge to take his hand. "I can't help but worry about you, you look like I felt after my parents were done with me. I could at least come here and not return until the following summer, whereas you're always called back home and come back hurt over and over. I won't ask questions because I know you won't answer them, but when you're ready..."

Remus swallowed nervously. "I... its more complicated than you think Sirius, I'd rather not discuss it right now, but thank you. It's nice to know someone cares. I'm glad you had James to help you. I'm sorry, I didn't realise..."

Sirius waved it off. "They always left me alone the last couple of weeks so I was healed by the time I returned, there was nothing to notice by that point. It even took James a while to notice."

He paused and thought back on what Remus had said, and his face dropped into a frown. "I'm sure there are a lot of people who care about you mate," he said.

Remus' gaze dropped from Sirius' and he started rubbing the back of his neck with his free arm.

"Just so we're clear here, if you need anything. Anything at all, I mean someone to talk to, or to help with anything, if you need to run away, or just get out for a few days, or just need someone to sit with you in silence, or to heal you, I want you to come to me. I don't want to see you hurt and alone again, and you won't be alone because you have me and James now."

Remus looked up quickly. "I'll always be hurt Sirius, there's nothing that can be done about..." he trailed off, realising that there wasn't much for him to say that wouldn't give his secret away.

Sirius' eyes narrowed. "You don't have to go home next time, or maybe I could go with you that way you could still see your mum... We could speak to Dumbledore about it?"

Remus closed his eyes as he felt tears prickle behind them. He knew he should be alone, he shouldn't let people get close to him, but he was so alone. He couldn't take it much longer.

That evening had been something special to him. He had a friend, someone who actually noticed he was missing from dinner. Someone who took the time to get him food and notes and even after 6 years of Remus brushing him off, still wanted to be his friend. He had shared something big with Remus and he cared about him. Remus had forgotten what it felt like to mean something to someone.

He knew Sirius wouldn't want to know him when he found out the truth, but for now he would allow himself the privilege of having Sirius Black as his friend.

"I can't promise anything Sirius, I can't do anything right now... But thank you for caring, and thank you for trusting me with your story."

"Of course I care, Remus," Sirius smiled softly at him. He actually more then cared but that would be too much to tell Remus at that time.

As Sirius stood up, Remus quickly grabbed his sleeve. Sirius stopped and quickly sat back down.

Remus had realised something at that moment, it wasn't just him that needed Sirius, Sirius seemed to need him too.

"I know I'm not able to talk right now, but everything you said... If I need someone for whatever reason... Well, that works both ways. If you need anything, then let me know," Remus said softly.

Sirius stood up again and put his hand on Remus' shoulder. "Thanks mate, I'll keep that in mind."

Remus hesitated for a moment. "What was your big secret?" He asked.

Sirius looked sad. "If I tell you, you might look at me different, you might not want to be my friend," he said softly and Remus smiled at him.

"I don't think that's possible Sirius," he replied.

Sirius returned his smile. "Maybe one day I'll be able to tell you," he replied. "I'll hold you to that promise if I ever need to talk as long as you do the same."

As Sirius walked away, he felt a bit lighter, it was hard to talk about what had happened, it still hurt to think about, but even though his parents had done so much to him, the bad memories always reminded him that his brother had helped him escape. He hoped that his story somehow made a difference with Remus.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, James left the room quickly to allow Sirius some time alone with Remus, so he could tend to his arm. Sirius knew firsthand how it felt to have someone else tend to you. Regulus, his brother, and Dorea Potter, who was like a mother to him, had both taken care and patience in healing him.

It meant a lot because it showed they cared, and he was determined that Remus know that Sirius cared about him.

Remus felt a bit ashamed that he allowed Sirius to tend his arm without fuss. He wasn't used to someone being so tender and caring towards him. Madame Pomfrey was kind, but it was never like this, and his parents didn't care in the slightest.

Sirius gave Remus a soft smile, as he gently stuck the bandage into place to stop it unravelling. "Thank you, Sirius," Remus said, looking up and meeting Sirius' eyes.

"Anytime, Remus," Sirius responded, still smiling at Remus. "Do you want to go down to breakfast?"

Remus nodded and rolled down his sleeve, and they headed down.

"Hey, you were quick," James said, keeping his eyes on Lily Evans.

As Sirius went to answer, he was stopped by Lily. "Oh Remus, please don't tell me you've become friends with these degenerates?"

Remus nodded. "Yeah, I have," he replied, looking between James and Sirius shyly.

"Yeah, he's one of us now, Lilykins," James said, grinning back at the shy boy.

Lily let out a groan. "You seemed so sensible, Remus, a lapse in your good judgement clearly."

Remus raised his eyebrow. "Not being friends with them sooner was the lapse, actually," he said mildly.

Lily raised her eyebrows at the usually quiet boy, before turning back to her friends.

"How often do you study with Evans?" James asked suddenly.

"Well, we do a study group once a week, and when we have a lot of homework we study together a bit more."

James nodded in thought. "Well, I have a brilliant idea. It'll take a month, but..."

"No, you're not going to use Polyjuice to become me," Remus interrupted, taking a very accurate guess at what James was asking. "I don't know how that would help either, because if you made a move on her, she'd think it was me making the move. If she found out that you had Polyjuiced into me, she'd be even angrier at you, and when you choose to talk about how wonderful James Potter is, rather than studying, she'd suspect something, or she'd think I had a thing for you."

James nodded as Sirius laughed. "I see where you're coming from... Well, can you put in a good word for me?" He asked, with a glance in Lily's direction to make sure she wasn't listening.

Remus smirked. "Somehow I don't think anything I say would help... but I'll try anyway," he offered, gaining a small smile from James.

James sat back in place, and they both looked at Sirius, who was glaring at the Slytherin table.

"Snape keep staring over here," he said in way of explanation.

They both followed his gaze, to see a smug-looking Snape whose eyes were locked with Sirius'. Snape looked away and breakfast continued.

As they ate, Remus listened to the boys chatting about pranks, Lily Evans, Halloween, Lily Evans, Quidditch and then back to Lily Evans. Remus was impressed how James could take a comment about Bludgers and somehow turn it back to talking about Lily Evans. The boy really was obsessed.

Throughout the day, Remus realised the boys were making sure that he was included in their group. James pushed him into Sirius' usual seat during Transfiguration. "From now on you sit with me in Transfiguration and Sirius in Potions."

"Oh no, you don't have to..." Remus started, trying to get up to go to his usual seat.

James blocked him. "We want to – you're one of us now, Remus. Me and Sirius take all the same classes, so we can sit together in other ones, we want to sit with you sometimes too," James explained with a smile.

"Funny how you're taking my seat in Potions, when I usually sit with Lily..." Remus pointed out, his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his lips.

James returned the smirk. "What can I say, the opportunity presented itself. I'm sure she'd rather sit with me then Sirius."

When it was time for Potions, Lily Evans was not impressed when she saw Remus sit next to Sirius. She glared in their direction, but Remus avoided looking towards her.

"Looking lovely as ever, Evans," James said, walking up to her table appearing awestruck by her mere presence.

Lily scowled at him as he slid into the seat next to her. "Shut up, Potter," she growled, slamming her potions book onto the desk.

Sirius and Remus tried to stifle their laughter. Potions would be very entertaining with James and Lily to entertain them.

**~oOo~**

The next three weeks went by quickly. Remus was trying to get used to people staring at him because he was hanging out with Sirius and James.

"It's because we're a very exclusive club, you see," Sirius pointed out. "The whole school wants to be friends with us and we only want to be friends with you. The girls, they're awestruck that the three best looking boys in school are hanging out together, they want to be our... What's the word that muggles use?"

"Groupies?" Remus suggested.

"Yeah, that's the one," Sirius said.

"Sirius, you talk a load of crap, you know?" Remus said, an amused look crossing his face.

"Yeah, I know, but its making you laugh at least," Sirius replied.

"So do you make the most of the groupies?" Remus asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Nope. Not interested in any of them."

Remus looked at James, "I would if one of them was Lily Evans," James replied.

Remus was secretly relieved that Sirius said he wasn't interested in the girls that watched him.

**~oOo~**

Remus enjoyed spending time with the other boys over those weeks. He felt normal when they were sitting around the dorm chatting, or watching them pull pranks, or asking his opinion, which happened often, as he was still shy around them.

He always gave his opinion, because when he did, Sirius would smile at him.

He found lessons more enjoyable, as he had Sirius or James to talk to or partner up with. When he wasn't sitting with Sirius and James, little notes would appear on his desk, which he would quickly write on and send back. During Arithmancy and Ancient Runes, he would still sit with Lily, as the boys didn't take those classes.

He knew that the friendship wouldn't last long. Hopefully they would make it to the end of the school year at least, by which time he decided he would have simply disappeared from their lives. That way, he could remember their friendship as it was right there and then, rather than picturing them looking at him with disappointment and disgust on their faces, which was inevitable if they ever found out the truth about him.

Plus, once he left, he would have to be registered, and then people would know what kind of monster he was. The problem he faced was that the decision to walk away was getting harder and harder for him, because no matter how much he told himself that he'd walk away from them at the end of the year, deep down, he knew it wouldn't be so easy.

Especially since he suspected that he was falling in love with Sirius Black.

**~oOo~**

The days to the full moon passed by fast, and there was less than a week left when Sirius found himself glaring at Snape, who was watching them yet again.

"Why is he always watching?" Sirius growled, as he kept his eyes locked with the Slytherin.

"He's been watching Remus, I've seen him stare at him more than us, and he watches if Remus leaves the hall first, then he stops staring at us." James said, his eyes moving to look at the Slytherin.

"But why?" Sirius asked, his eyes still locked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Remus asked, and Sirius turned to him, waiting to hear.

"Well, at first I found it really creepy, and then I realised he must be jealous of how good my hair looks... Or maybe he just wants to shag me?" Remus gave a shudder.

The boys let out a laugh. "Can you blame him though, I mean look at you Remus," Sirius said with a wink, causing Remus to blush.

"Yeah, well... he's been watching me all week, staring every meal, during class. It's really weird," Remus said, frowning in Snape's direction, and trying to ignore Sirius' last comment.

"You knew he was staring all this time?" James asked.

Remus shrugged. "I'm used to it. He's not the only one staring at me, check out the Ravenclaw table."

"What? Is someone giving you trouble?" Sirius said angrily, glaring at the Ravenclaw table, searching out anyone that was looking at Remus wrong.

"No, let's just say that I have no wish to tutor Michelle Abbott again."

Sirius moved his eyes to the girl at the table, who was looking over and flicking her hair.

"Didn't you tutor her last week?" Sirius frowned, trying to remember, and Remus nodded.

"Remus, I think you're in there," James said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Remus just shook his head. "No, I don't think so," he said, turning back to his food. "She literally threw herself across a table during studying in an attempt to snog me. I had to grab my books and run fast. Good thing I have quick reflexes."

Sirius looked amused.

"She didn't get the hint and she follows me sometimes. Can't seem to shake her off. I think you were right about the groupies, I think she's my groupie. Now how do I get rid of her?" Remus continued, looking between the boys for a suggestion.

"She keeps looking at you," James pointed out.

"Don't look back at her. When they think I'm looking, they try talk to me. Now really, please, how do I get rid of her? I don't like this." Remus whined.

"Are you too shy?" Sirius teased.

"Just not interested," Remus said, starting to sound frustrated.

"In girls?" James asked, with a smirk.

"I... It's... I..." Remus sounded flustered. "I don't fancy Michelle Abbott or the girls that have approached me. They're not my type... I don't like... umm blondes." Remus used blondes as a code word when he meant girls, but his friends needn't know that.

James and Sirius shared a look. Clearly both wondering if Remus didn't like the girls that approached him, or if he was gay. Sirius clearly hoped for the latter, because when he ran the words through his head, it sounded like Remus said blondes when he really meant girls. He grinned at his new friend.

"Cool, I don't like blondes either," Sirius said, also meaning girls. He winked at Remus who blushed and looked away, feeling slightly disappointed that he had blonde hair, and thinking that Sirius actually meant blondes.

"Although I don't mind your sort of blonde, Remus," Sirius added, realising his mistake, and giving a tug on a strand of Remus' hair. "You have nice hair," he mumbled, "it's really soft..."

James kicked Sirius under the table, and Sirius quickly let go of Remus' hair and turned back to his plate.

**~oOo~**

The evening before the full moon, Sirius and James forced Remus to attend dinner, and when they got there, they left a quiet Remus to eat, noticing that Snape looked extremely gleeful. Remus had spent the previous couple of days avoiding them, and withdrawing into himself.

"Do you think he has something to do with how Remus has been acting? He seems overly happy, I mean, I've never seen him this happy over anything," James said very quietly, and Sirius agreed.

"We'll deal with him soon enough," Sirius muttered, looking at Remus with a concerned look, as the werewolf distractedly ate his dinner, keeping his gaze away from his friends.

The next morning, Remus wasn't acting like himself in the slightest. He received a letter when the owls arrived with post, and looked at Professor McGonagall at the Professors' table, before rushing off to lessons.

After lunch, Remus didn't attend the other lessons and Sirius and James spoke quietly about it.

"I think he's going home today. He's not himself, he seems very upset and he's pushing us away... It's been about a month now." James said.

"Yeah, I was thinking that, plus once he got the letter, he kept looking at Minnie, and she'd know if he was leaving, right?" Sirius said.

"Have a word with him after dinner, but don't be pushy. Just remind him that we're his friends, and if he needs to talk he can come to us. He's withdrawn, so maybe he's still wary about us," James said.

"Yeah, I'll bring some dinner up if he doesn't show," Sirius decided, glad that James was taking an interest in all of this.

They went down to dinner, and Sirius knew that Remus had no intention of turning up, so he repeated his idea from the previous month, Transfiguring tubs and putting food into them. He rushed up to the dorm and arrived as Remus was about to leave the room.

**~oOo~**

Remus backed up, away from the doorway, letting Sirius into the room. He kept his eyes diverted as Sirius took him in, seeing the warm robes and his bag.

"Stay!"

"I can't."

"You can. It's safer for you here."

"It's not, trust me on that, Sirius."

"Can I... I mean, I could come with you?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go alone. I'll be back soon. It won't be so bad."

Sirius sighed and rubbed his hand over his face in frustration as he watched his friend fix his bag on his shoulder. He put the tubs down on the desk and turned back to Remus, noticing the boy was about to open the door.

"Remus?" Sirius said softly, and the other boy turned around. Sirius walked over and carefully put his arms around Remus, giving him a hug and holding tightly for a moment. Remus brought his hands up to awkwardly hug Sirius, before letting go.

Sirius wanted Remus to leave the school with a good thought; that his friends were here for him, at least, and a hug seemed the best way to show him that.

Sirius pulled back, his hands resting on Remus' shoulders. He looked into his green eyes, noticing the specks of amber in them. "Be safe okay? Promise if it gets too bad, you'll come back. If you need me, just owl me and I'll be straight there, even if it's the middle of the night. I'll stay awake in case."

The werewolf stayed silent, stunned by the hug Sirius had just given him and by how much the other boy seemed to care.

"Please, promise me," Sirius said, his voice sounding strained, his eyes never leaving Remus'.

Remus slowly nodded, as his heart started to pound. He was very aware of how close Sirius' face was to his. He was frozen in place, and the way Sirius was looking at him... made his head spin slightly.

Sirius had an overwhelming desire to pull Remus close to him and place his lips on Remus'. He had played it over and over in his head so many times. How easy it would be, to run a hand up to Remus' cheek and push his shaggy hair from his eyes. If the boy didn't pull away, Sirius would gently press his lips against Remus', kissing him softly and slowly, knowing Remus would be shy at first and that he'd have to coax Remus into relaxing in his arms. He wondered if Remus had ever been kissed before, he hoped not, he would love to be Remus' first kiss, be the first one to run his fingers through Remus' hair, the first one to...

"Sirius?" came a confused voice.

Sirius realised he had been holding Remus in place for longer than necessary. Hearing his name brought him back to reality.

He realised that it was a bad idea to kiss Remus at that moment, because he needed friends to confide in, he needed Sirius and James to help him, to protect him, to be there for him. A kiss would complicate things for the shy boy.

Sirius knew it was best to wait until the other boy was safe from harm before showing Remus he had feelings for him. Once Sirius had convinced him not to return home, or once they had left school and Remus was living with him and James, then he would ask Remus to be with him. He could wait until then.

Their first kiss should also not coincide with a day tainted by Remus' family hurting him, it should be after Sirius took him on a date, or did something nice for him, like a picnic – Remus liked being outside, they could have it by the lake.

Instead, he let go and satisfied himself with gently brushing a strand of hair from Remus' eyes.

"I need you to come back to me safe," he said softly, before stepping back, allowing space for the other boy to move away.

Remus looked at him with wide eyes. "Sirius," he began, his voice low, "I'll be safe, I'll see you soon, I promise," he whispered, a shy smile appearing on his face, and he turned around and left the room, closing the door behind him.

As he walked through the school, Remus remembered what he had worked out that month about suspecting that he was falling for Sirius. He was positive now. He was falling for the other boy and falling hard. There was something about the way Sirius had looked into his eyes, the expression on his face, the gentle way he brushed Remus' hair from his eyes... He had honestly thought Sirius would try and kiss him, and was disappointed that he hadn't.

As he made his way to the Whomping Willow, he realised he must have been completely mistaken about Sirius – because why would Sirius Black want to kiss him, when the handsome wizard could have almost anyone in the school? Remus decided he must have read the situation wrong, he was confusing a caring friend with something much more. He would never have someone to love, so why kid himself now?

But at least he had the memory of their few minutes in the dorm for when he was alone in the shack. He would return to James and Sirius afterwards, he wouldn't be alone for too long.

**~oOo~**

Sirius waited a couple of minutes, taking a couple of deep breathes, before leaving to head to dinner. He couldn't believe he had only been up there for 20 minutes. He pulled a mirror from his robes, and said James' name.

"Mate, keep some food for me, I'm coming back down," he told him, and put the mirror away.

He went to the hall and James knew how it went.

"I couldn't talk him out of going," Sirius said, sitting down. "I'm scared. What if it's worse than last time? What if he doesn't come back this time?"

They sat quietly, thinking about Remus, before James pulled Sirius up, in the hopes of discussing it properly in the dorms, where they wouldn't be overheard.

They started walking back towards the Common room, but had barely moved away from the Great Hall before they realised they were being followed.

Without warning they both spun around, wands drawn, to find Severus Snape standing calmly at the end of their wands.

"Do you want to know where Lupin really goes when he says his mother is ill?" Snape asked them.

Sirius frowned and looked at James. "What do you know of it, Snivellous?" James snapped.

"I've seen where he really goes, and I know his secret." Snape smirked.


	6. Chapter 6

"If this is a trick..." James started, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"No trick, Potter, I'll tell you exactly where he is and how to get there," Snape said, cutting off the other boy, his gaze shifting between the boys who had made the last six years unbearable for him.

"I've seen him, I saw it last month, and the month before. He goes to a secret tunnel on the grounds."

The boys stared at him. "Secret tunnel?" James asked curiously.

"Tell us where he is," Sirius demanded, feeling hopeful that he could help the other boy.

"Under the Whomping Willow. There's a way to stop it moving and there's a secret tunnel."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" James asked him.

"Go out there, try it. If it doesn't freeze, then I'm lying... but if it does, you'd need to ask why the tree was placed here the same year Remus Lupin came here, and why there is a passage underneath."

"How do we stop it moving?" Sirius said urgently.

Sirius and James listened carefully to Snape's instructions and looked at each other. Snape was clearly up to something, but their curiosity got the better of them. They walked towards the main doors. How could they resist a secret tunnel that led to Hogsmeade, and more importantly, Remus?

"Where are you both going? Potter? Black? Answer me!" Came Lily's voice from behind them, as they headed outside.

James turned, and walked back to Lily. "Snape told us where to find Remus Lupin. We're going to get him."

"What? He's gone home? So how can you find him – you're not going to his house are you?" she asked in confusion, her gaze shifting between the boys.

"Snape said he's in a secret tunnel. We're going to check it out."

"Potter, you're not going anywhere except back to the Common Room," Lily ordered.

"Sorry, Evans, we're doing this. We can't abandon our friend... even if he's not there, we gotta see where this tunnel leads. It's for the good of the school."

"I'll take points off. I'll give you detention," she threatened.

Sirius stormed over. "Believe us or not Evans, but Remus is in trouble, we may have a way to help him and trust me, no amount of detentions or points will change our minds right now. We're wasting time, we need to catch up with him."

Lily realised that she wouldn't get anything from them. "Where's Severus?" she asked instead.

James reluctantly pointed the way they had just come from, and the two boys rushed from the castle. Lily went the way they pointed and found Severus walking in the opposite way down the corridor.

"Severus? Where did you send them?" Lily shouted, as she stormed towards him.

"Lily." He spun around. He hesitated for a moment at her question. "I merely sent them for a walk."

"Don't give me that, Severus. You sent them to find Remus Lupin, but I know he's gone home to his mother."

Snape couldn't hold back his smirk and Lily didn't like the cruel look that crossed his face for a second, before his expressionless mask was back.

"Didn't he?" Lily asked hesitantly.

"He never does." Snape admitted.

"Where does he go?"

Severus hesitated in his answer.

"I want the truth, Sev," she growled, a bad feeling rising up inside her.

"He goes into a secret tunnel, I've seen him do it. I saw him do it last month too, every single month actually." Snape told her.

"But the boys have gone outside in the dark to look for the tunnel?"

"Yes, but they'll at least have the moonlight to see by..."

The wheels started turning in Lily's head. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your new friends will find out soon enough, I..."

Snape found a wand at his throat. "Tell me, Severus, for the sake of our failing friendship you will tell me."

There was a long silence.

"Lupin goes down to a secret tunnel every single month at a full moon. I have my suspicions of what he really is. This was the third time I noticed the pattern in which he leaves, so I knew my assumptions were correct."

"Where's the tunnel?" Lily growled, and Snape didn't answer.

"You better tell me. If you're right and Remus hurts James or Sirius, do you know what'll happen to him? The Ministry will have him killed! There are three lives on the line, and I'll make sure they know who's really to blame. I will never, ever forgive you if any of them get hurt."

Snape went pale. "The Whomping Willow has a knot at the base. I saw Lupin climb under and push it, and the tree froze. There is a tunnel. I only sent them there to scare them, I..."

"I'm going to stop them. You are the reason I'm about to go into a tunnel where Remus is transforming into a werewolf, which I hope won't kill me, so I suggest you get a Professor there now!"

"Don't go in there, please, Lily," Snape said, fear in his voice as he grabbed her arm. She pulled away and looked at him in disgust, before running off.

He followed her, calling her name but she ran outside. He turned back to the Great Hall to get a Professor. He didn't care about the boys, but he couldn't allow Lily to die.

**~oOo~**

Lily turned and ran for the doors to get to James and Sirius fast, ignoring the shouts from her friend behind her. What kind of person was he to send them into the Whomping Willow? If Snape was right in his suspicions – and Lily realised that it all added up, all his absences, his hospital visits, his isolation, it all clicked into place – it meant James and Sirius were in a lot of danger.

She and Severus were the only ones who knew where they were, and she hoped that Severus realised the danger they were all in and called for a Professor.

**~oOo~**

James and Sirius ran quickly across the grounds, towards the Whomping Willow. If Snape was telling the truth, then Remus had gone through this tunnel, so maybe they could catch up to him...

Sirius was hell bent on getting to Remus, but James had a bad feeling about it. Why would Snape help them? He watched Sirius drop to the ground and wiggle as close as possible to the Whomping Willow, using a long stick from nearby to prod the knot. They both stared in silence as the tree froze.

"I don't like this," James whispered and Sirius agreed. However, both of them were too curious to turn back. They slowly made their way to a passage.

Lily ran from the castle. The tree came into view and she saw two figures climbing into the passage, so she sped up, calling their names. They disappeared from view and she rushed to reach the tree before it started moving again.

"Shit, Evans is trying to follow us," Sirius whispered. "Well, she doesn't know about the knot to open it... We didn't tell her, so she can't stop us helping Remus."

James shook his head. "She asked where Snape was, she might have spoken to him," James replied.

As they rushed up the tunnel, they heard screams of pain. They sped up, trying to get to Remus faster – something bad was happening to him.

"I'll take out the person hurting him, you get him back into this tunnel and start healing him," Sirius ordered, his eyes flashing. James had never seen that look before, not even when Sirius finally told them what his parents had done to him.

"I think it's best if you take him into the tunnel," James said firmly, secretly scared of what this side of Sirius could be capable of.

Sirius turned to look at James, about to shout at him, but James cut him off.

"After all, you've been the one tending to his arm, and he's probably scared out of his mind, he'd feel safer with you, with someone who cares for him, maybe even someone who's falling in love with him. I'll make sure the bastard who's doing this gets caught." He could see the uncertainty playing across Sirius' face.

"You'd do a better job healing him," James said, "Remus needs you, you understand what he's going through."

Sirius sighed, but nodded in agreement. "I'll look after Remus."

Lily pushed the knot and ran into the tunnel. "Sirius, James – please come back. Please," she screamed up the tunnel. She could hear screams of pain and knew the transformation was happening. She felt terrified, but there was a chance she could catch up with the boys and get them out safely.

She couldn't turn back now – the further they went, the more likely they would be killed. She kept her wand up ready and ran as fast as she could down the tunnel after them.


	7. Chapter 7

Remus woke the next morning in the same spot as he usually did. He was naked, alone, and in an intense amount of pain. In fact, as he tried to move, he realised that this was his worst transformation since starting Hogwarts, the worst one in as long as he could remember.

He could feel the blood slowly trickling down his arms and legs. As he registered the sensation, he realised that it was all over him, the feel of the trickling drops that made him feel the need to scratch and claw at his skin, yet he couldn't move. His brain was trying to register something, but the daze he was in meant he couldn't think straight.

He blinked a few times and could feel dried blood on his face, some still slowly tricking down, tickling his nose.

He was sure his nose was broken too.

After a couple of minutes of him laying there, although with his head spinning, it could have been longer, he heard Madame Pomfrey come in. He tried to move, to look for his blanket, but he was unable to move his arm to reach it. He was glad that he was facing away from the door as he heard her open it and call his name.

Remus felt the blanket drape over him quickly, and registered her soft tones asking him what injuries he could feel, and which parts of his body that he couldn't move.

"Leg broken..." he whimpered. He tried to move his arm and winced. "I think my arm or shoulder has been dislocated, my ribs... I feel like I'm bleeding everywhere. My face, my nose... My head is pounding. I feel dizzy, I can't see properly."

Madame Pomfrey nodded, her eyes filled with sympathy. She took a look at his shoulder.

"Dislocated shoulder, you know how this goes," she told him.

She poured a pain potion into his mouth and gave it a moment to work. Remus nodded when he was ready.

"On three. One... Two... Three." Madame Pomfrey counted down, and she gave a hard pull, and his shoulder was back in place. Remus swore loudly and grunted in pain.

"I'm going to put your leg in a splint and heal what I can, but most needs to be done back in the hospital wing."

Remus nodded and Madame Pomfrey put the splint on his leg, and fixed his broken nose.

She quickly pulled a shrunken stretcher out of her bag, enlarging it and levitating Remus onto it. She ignored the stream of curse words coming out of his mouth as each moment caused him pain, no matter how smooth the transition. The potions could only help reduce the pain, not completely take it away, and as she hadn't expected him to be in such a bad state, she hadn't thought to bring much else. She placed a Disillusionment Charm on the stretcher and Remus.

Once he settled onto it and the stretcher was lifted into the air, he apologised for his language.

Madame Pomfrey gave a small smile. "I've heard worse, Remus. Plus, you go through so much each month, I'm surprised when you don't swear."

He pulled the blanket around himself, and she waved her wand, making it thicker and warmer, enough to keep him warm outside even given time of year, and started moving him down the tunnel.

They started walking again, and Remus felt concern build up inside himself. Something was wrong, something was very wrong, his skin was buzzing with it, he could feel it in his bones. Madame Pomfrey stayed silent for the whole walk, and Remus' nerves grew. She had never turned up early or stayed silent. He took a deep breath and froze.

The tunnel smelt different. He could smell the faint trace of perfume... and at least two other scents. The smells hadn't been there the day before when he first entered the tunnel so that could only mean one thing. Someone had been in the tunnel, maybe even the shack whilst he was a werewolf. He breathed in again and another smell hit him. He could smell blood. He could almost taste it.

The coppery smell of blood made him feel dizzy. It could mean so many things – had he hurt someone? Maybe he'd bitten them? Could he have killed someone? There were three people in the tunnel that he could smell. How could anyone face a werewolf and come out without being bitten or dead? Was that why Madame Pomfrey was rushing?

Remus ran his tongue over his teeth and couldn't taste blood, but that didn't mean that he hadn't done anything.

He started to feel dizzy as thoughts bombarded him. He was a killer, he had made it as a cursed werewolf for almost thirteen years, and now... now his life was over, and not just his – whoever his poor victims were as well. He deserved whatever happened to him now. He tried to sit up, to ask Madame Pomfrey what was happening, when the wolf reared up in his head. He started shaking it, trying to get the wolf to go away, so he could focus, when Madame Pomfrey's hand grabbed his jaw, and forced a potion down his throat, one to make him fall asleep.

His last thoughts before he lost consciousness to the potion were that he had become a murderer, and that the victims smelled very familiar.

**~oOo~**

It took a week for him to wake up properly. He hadn't been aware of how much time had passed, until Madame Pomfrey handed him his clothes to get changed and informed him of the date. He was told that his leg would take a bit more time to heal and he would need to rest it as much as he could.

He was also told to keep the scars on his face clean and was given something to put on them. He would always have the scars, but with the cream, they wouldn't look as severe.

He nodded absently. He had killed people, why would he be concerned about some scars? Once the Ministry was called, he would be put down like the animal that he was. His only thought was why they hadn't collected him already? Maybe they weren't kind enough to kill him in his sleep, they wanted to bring him to the ministry and make him face up to what he had done first, maybe even tell him the names of his victims, make him suffer first. He deserved to suffer for what he'd done.

An hour after he got dressed, Professor McGonagall walked in the room.

"Poppy, has Mr Lupin woken up?" She saw him sitting on the edge of the bed, staring into space. "Ah yes, Mr Lupin, you're finally awake. The headmaster wants you to come to his office. Are you able to make it up there alright, or do you need assistance?"

"I can manage," he said softly, wondering who she would have called for assistance. He stood up and put weight on his leg, testing it out. It still hurt, but was far from the pain he had felt when he had transformed back.

As he walked, he was aware of the limp, but he didn't complain, as Madame Pomfrey gave him a walking stick to help him. He'd only have to deal with it for a few hours before the Ministry took him away. He would be lucky to still be alive tomorrow.

The walk to Dumbledore's office felt extremely long, and so many times he wanted to ask Professor McGonagall who he had hurt, who he had killed, but he was scared to know. He was scared it would be that much more real when he had the names of his victims.

He had let Dumbledore down, and he had proven to his father that he was indeed the monster that his father thought he was.


	8. Chapter 8

Sirius and James kept running, the anticipation building up inside them. They knew they had to be close, and after a few minutes, they reached the trapdoor.

They paused for a moment and looked at each other. James nodded to show he was ready.

Sirius gripped his wand tightly and started to climb, pushing the trapdoor open slowly. He went to lift himself in, but before he could, Lily ran into them, grabbed Sirius' robes and pulled him hard, so he fell back into the tunnel.

Sirius knew he had to get to Remus soon. The thought of the boy he was in love with in that sort of pain made his chest hurt. He would kill whoever was doing this to him.

He thought back to the scars, the cuts, the scared look on the boy's face as he left each month, and gripped his wand even tighter. No-one would ever hurt Remus again. He would make sure of that, he would keep Remus safe.

"Did you not hear his screams?" Sirius asked Lily, "They're torturing him, I've never heard anyone in that much pain before. If he gets hurt because you –"

"He's a werewolf," she interrupted, looking up at the trapdoor in fear. "He spends the full moon in the Shrieking Shack, that's where he is every month when he says he is visiting his mother. His scars are all self-inflicted, a lot of werewolves wounds can't be healed magically, and as for his isolation, well, I'm betting it's so no-one gets close enough to him to work it out... We need to get out now."

The boys looked at her in stunned silence, before glancing up, finally recognising that it was the Shrieking Shack above them.

"Did you hear me? NOW!" she ordered, grabbing both their arms and trying to pull them away from the trapdoor.

Sirius shook his head, trying to shake her off. "No, he's not. Not Remus..."

"Please, Sirius," Lily said, her voice shaking. "If you go up there, he'll... just please don't go up. Ask him when you see him next, I promise you. It's a full moon tonight, isn't it strange that he always disappears on a full moon?"

James stared at her. "You're sure?"

Lily nodded, and James grabbed Sirius' other arm and started dragging him back up the tunnel, whilst fumbling to get out his wand.

Sirius struggled. "No! Someone's hurting him, he needs me, I can't just leave him, I..." he stopped talking as he heard one last scream, from right above them, which ended as a howl.

"Remus?" He said, sounding so unsure, before looking at Lily and James' scared faces. He pushed them both towards the exit, following behind. "You better be right, Evans, I mean it, I fucking mean it," he muttered over and over, as they ran.

They made it almost half way back before they heard it. A growl, echoing through the tunnel, which alerted them that the Wolf was close. They all turned around, their wands out, and slowly walked backwards, trying to get close to the exit without turning their backs on the Wolf as it came into view.

"Don't kill him, remember it's Remus in there," Sirius whispered, and the others nodded their heads. James moved to stand beside Sirius, trying to push Lily behind him.

It was James that took charge. "Lily, send a Patronus to Professor McGonagall, but be vague in case she's with someone. Send it to Dumbledore, too."

He took a shaky breath, as the Wolf stalked forward. "Sirius, get some sort of shield or barrier up to stop him getting to us. I'll try to drive him back away, so we can get out."

"I should be the one dealing with him..." Sirius began.

"We can't trust you when it comes to Remus, you'll hesitate, you'll be scared to hurt him," James replied.

"Fine, but remember it's Remus, don't kill him," Sirius repeated, as the Werewolf growled, and they began to back up slowly.

Sirius started casting a shield, and James prepared to throw the Wolf back, should the shield fail.

After a moment, the Wolf lunged, and hit the shield, which flickered and disappeared. Sirius hastily recast it, as James threw the Werewolf back. The shield failed each time the Wolf hit it, and each time James stunned it, the Wolf would only get thrown back a few steps, and the process would be repeated.

Lily had sent the Patronus to both McGonagall and Dumbledore.

"Do we do this all night, until he's Remus again?" Lily said, her voice shaking slightly.

She had joined in, casting the same shield as Sirius, trying to make his stronger, but it was no use.

"Can we back up as we do it, maybe get closer to the entrance and hopefully someone will be there to help us, or we can somehow get the tree to close up the entrance, once we're out?" James suggested.

They kept edging backwards, as the Wolf advanced. It was moving faster than them, and even with the spells, it was getting closer and closer.

Lily started trying out other spells on the Werewolf.

"Impedimenta," she tried, but the spell didn't slow him.

"Locomotor Mortis."

"Petrificus Totalus."

"Impedimenta!" She shouted, tears on her face, as the werewolf got closer and closer, the shields and stunning charms becoming less and less effective.

"That one slowed him for a second. Again on three, Lily," James said, counting to three.

Lily focused on knocking the Wolf back and cast again, with James helping her.

"No, it's not working," she whimpered.

"Incarcerous!" James shouted, to no effect.

"Levicorpus," Lily tried.

"Are we far enough out of the grounds to apparate?" Lily asked, and James shook his head.

"We can't, I tried when I grabbed both your arms when the Werewolf first appeared."

"I have one more, but it might hurt him, sorry Sirius, but I have to..."

"No, we'll think of something, don't hurt him," Sirius shouted, raising his wand to cast another shield, but the distraction from Lily made him cast it a second too late, and James and Lily watched in horror as the Werewolf lunged forward, knocking Sirius full force into the tunnel wall.

"Expulso," Lily whispered to James and he nodded as the Wolf advanced on the unconscious boy.

James threw a rock at the Wolf to draw it away from Sirius. As the Wolf turned and moved towards them, James counted to three, and the cast the spell.

"Expulso!" they both shouted together, and the Wolf was thrown back hard against a wall.

The Werewolf lay there, its eyes closed.

"He's not dead, is he?" Lily asked, looking at it.

"No, his chest is moving, he's just unconscious. Let's get Sirius and get out of here."

Lily looked at Sirius, and with a wave of her wand, he was floating.

"You keep your wand on the Wolf, I'll get Sirius out," Lily said, and they began to rush up the tunnel.

Lily got out first, pressing the knot, and James took over moving Sirius. They began to rush towards the school.

**...~oOo~...**

"Black, Potter, Miss Evans, you're alive!" Came the relieved tone of Professor McGonagall, as she rushed towards them, Dumbledore following closely behind.

"Sirius got knocked into a wall, he needs to go to the hospital wing, also with the Wolf, we managed to knock him out with Expulso. We left him in the tunnel because we didn't know how long he'd be out for, and didn't know if we had enough time to get him into the Shack," Lily said, her body shaking.

James carefully wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into him.

"Hospital wing, all three of you. Did you tell anyone else about the tunnel, or did anyone see you go in?"

They both shook their heads.

"Mr Potter, please help Mr Black," Dumbledore said, "I will come and join you in the hospital wing in an hour or two. I have Mr Snape waiting for me in my office."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and walked back to the school.

**...~oOo~...**

It was a little while before Sirius woke up, and each time James went to speak, Sirius would shake his head. James gave up after a couple of tries, knowing Sirius was thinking hard about what happened. They watched Madame Pomfrey put her winter robes over her clothes, and realised she was going to get Remus.

"Should we leave before he gets here?" James asked.

Madame Pomfrey shook her head. "If I know Remus, this recovery will take a lot longer. I'll need to make sure he's asleep before bringing him in. I would like to check Mr Black over again in a little while."

As she walked out, Lily sighed.

"James, do you have that cloak on you?" James dug around in his robes and pulled it out, handing it to her.

"I'm going to get food, I'll get you some too?" She asked, and they both nodded.

The moment the doors closed, Sirius sat up and looked at James.

"Should I care that he's a Werewolf? I know I was brought up to be disgusted by anyone who isn't a pure blood or isn't fully human, but not once throughout everything that's happened have I being disgusted by Remus or his condition."

"Same here mate," James said.

"I was always told that even in human form, anyone who has Lycanthropy is blood thirsty and evil... Remus' isn't. It makes me really reconsider everything I've learnt about them."

"Have your feelings changed for him?" James asked, and Sirius shook his head.

"I still love him. You think with him knocking me unconscious, that I'd have second thoughts, but I don't. It just makes me want to work harder to make sure he's happy because I can't save him from his condition, but there has to be a way to help him."

"We'll work something out. I still want to be his friend too, it's not his fault that he turns into a werewolf every month, and he's never tried to harm us or being cruel or anything whilst human. He's only a wolf one day a month," James said.

"I know," Sirius said, "I want to be his friend, or more if he ever felt the same."

"No wonder he wouldn't make friends. Imagine carrying this secret around with you for... well, he's had it since he was at least eleven, right? Since he's been at Hogwarts?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure he's been saying his mum is sick since first year," Sirius said. "I can't imagine doing that alone. He could have told us, we would have been there for him years ago."

"I don't blame him for keeping it a secret, imagine if he trusted someone and told them, and they told the school – he'd be kicked out of here," James said.

"Well, when he wakes up, we'll tell him that we know his secret, and we're still his friends," Sirius decided.

"Boys, as much as I like what I am hearing, knowing that you'll keep your friend's secret, I feel it would be best if you didn't tell him yourselves. Allow me to do that, otherwise Mr Lupin might panic. Please, come and see me after dinner tomorrow for a meeting, and bring Miss Evans," Dumbledore told them, and they looked up in surprise, not having noticed that the man had come into the hospital wing.

The boys nodded and watched Professor Dumbledore leave.

"I want to be his friend, too," came a soft voice from beside them, and Lily pulled the cloak off herself.

There was a long silence as they started to eat the food brought up. Then the door opened and a stretcher was brought in, Madame Pomfrey following it.

"Remus," Sirius said, abandoning his food and jumping off the bed to rush over to where the stretcher stopped.

He brushed the other boy's hair back and gasped at the amount of blood coming from the gash across his face.

"We didn't do that, did we?" He asked, appalled, glaring at James and Lily.

"No, he did that to himself. Unfortunately, being faced with you three, and all of you escaping made the Wolf angry, and if he has no-one to attack, he will attack himself."

James and Lily came over and looked down at him.

"Now, I need to know what your opinion is on the matter?" Madame Pomfrey asked them.

They all looked up at her.

"What do you mean?" James asked, looking confused.

"I tend to Remus every month, you think I don't notice how lost and alone he is in this school? I need to know if he'll have friends waiting when he wakes up," Madame Pomfrey explained sternly.

"Yeah, we all want to stay his friends," James told her.

She sighed in relief. "I'm glad to hear that. If you could back away for a moment?" she asked, and they all stepped back, allowing her to maneuver the stretcher until Remus was laying on the bed.

"Mr Potter, Miss Evans, you both can leave. Mr Black, I would rather you stay here for the night, and maybe tomorrow, so I can monitor you."

The request was something Sirius would have usually complained about, but he liked the thought of staying with Remus in case he woke up, so he nodded in agreement.

James told Sirius that he would return in a few minutes with some pyjamas and clean clothes, and promised to visit the next morning before classes and bring food. As he and Lily left, Sirius turned back to Remus, who was being healed by Madame Pomfrey, before retrieving a cloth, some bandages and healing cream from the cupboard. He set it all down on the table, and started dabbing at Remus' face.

Madame Pomfrey watched him for a minute.

"When Remus came here yesterday, he seemed so different to how he's been. He was smiling, and happy. He doesn't have anyone, and knowing you, James and Lily will be staying by his side will mean everything to him."

"What do you mean, he doesn't have anyone? Doesn't he have any friends or family or anything at home?"

Madame Pomfrey hesitated. "What I say doesn't leave this room, not even to Mr Potter, because I know you tell him allsorts. This is Remus' private business and if he wants anyone to know, he'll share it himself. I'm only telling you this because it's clear how much Remus means to you, and he needs someone to understand."

Sirius nodded and continued washing the blood off Remus' face, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Never once after a transformation, even the bad ones, have his parents ever come to visit him. At first, I would send them owls telling them how the transformation went, and offering to open the floo in the office next door, but they've never come, it's rare for me to even get a reply from them."

Sirius stroked Remus' hair from his face, to wash the blood underneath it.

"Don't they care?" he asked and Madame Pomfrey shook her head.

"Remus really doesn't have anyone. The only person he could talk to about his transformations has been me. He needs friends, he desperately needs to feel normal, and have normal experiences – hanging out with friends, going to Hogsmeade, going on dates. He doesn't allow himself to have a normal life, because he doesn't think he deserves to be normal."

"But he is normal, he's only a werewolf once a month," Sirius replied.

"Maybe you'll do a better job at convincing him then I've done," she sighed, watching Sirius gently rub Essence of Dittany into Remus' face.

Sirius realised this was the longest conversation he had ever had with the Healer.

"Well, I've managed a lot in the last month, and once he realises I know his secret and still feel the same, I'm sure it'll all move quicker and he'll trust us," Sirius said, using his wand to get the blood out of Remus' sandy hair, and pushing his hand out of his face again, wishing he could do that much when Remus was awake.

"I don't think he knows how you feel, Sirius, maybe you should tell him. One thing Remus craves is someone to love him," Madame Pomfrey said very softly, and Sirius looked at her in shock.

"What?"

"You think me blind, Sirius? As a healer, it's my job to notice everything, to tell if someone is lying about something that happened, or if they're hurt worse than they say. I can see how you feel."

Sirius looked away.

"I'm not going to tell him, if that's what you're worried about," Madame Pomfrey said, "It's just that when he came here before going to the Shack, you're all he talked about. How you were his friend, he mentioned James too, but not nearly as much as he mentioned you."

Sirius grinned.

"I would advise you to tell him, but give him a few weeks to come to terms with what's happened. No-one has found out before, and he's not going to take it very well. His father was very adamant that he shouldn't let people get too close, in case they find out."

**...~oOo~...**

Everyone looked shocked as James and Lily sat together in their classes the next day, Sirius having been kept in the hospital to ensure he was alright. Lily and James didn't speak much, but they still sat with each other.

Even stranger still, was that Lily was the one who took a seat next to a stunned James, rather than James insisting on sitting beside her.

For the next week, James alternated between sitting with Sirius and sitting with Lily, they made sure to take notes for Remus, knowing he would want to see them as soon as possible.

The week went too slowly for Sirius. Realising that there was no need for pretense with Madame Pomfrey, Sirius would head to the hospital wing and sit there next to Remus' bed, hoping Remus would wake up. He'd hold Remus' hand, marvelling at how soft the other boy's skin was, and just think about what he would say to Remus when he got the chance.

He spent most of his time in there, having to be thrown out by Madame Pomfrey. He was falling behind on his work and for the first time ever, Professor McGonagall took pity on him and after speaking to Madame Pomfrey and realising that Sirius genuinely cared for Remus, it was agreed he could sit with Remus, but only if he was doing his homework whilst there.

**...~oOo~...**

Eight days after the attack, James, Sirius and Lily were sitting eating dinner, when an owl landed in front of James.

He reached up, recognising the school owl, and took the letter, slipping it a bit of bread before it flew away.

**_Mr Potter, Mr Black and Miss Evans, please come to my office directly after dinner._ **

**_I take great delight in Maltesers._ **

"What's a Maltesers?" James asked, and Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's muggle chocolate," she said. "Have you never had Maltesers?"

The boys both shook their head and Lily sighed.

"You really don't know what you're missing," she told them. "I'm assuming it's the password to the Headmaster's office."

They waited until the Headmaster left the great hall, before heading up to his office.

"Do you think this means Remus has woken up?" Sirius asked eagerly.

The others nodded hopefully. They went into the office and sat down, and Dumbledore confirmed that Remus had finally woken up.

"I fear he'll panic when he finds out what has happened. Let him get it all out, then be clear that you still want him in your life," Dumbledore said, walking to the floo. "He should be here in a few minutes, I'll quickly let his parents know they are needed here.

He threw down the powder.

"Lupin Residence," he said, disappearing just as Remus opened the door to the office.


	9. Chapter 9

The days were going much too slowly for Sirius. He just wanted Remus to wake up and he felt so concerned about him. He spent all his free time in the hospital wing, even doing his homework whilst sitting next to the bed, and ignoring the knowing smiles that Madame Pomfrey sent his way.

Each morning, before going to breakfast and lessons, Sirius would go to the hospital wing to check on Remus, and he would go back there after lessons and dinner, and stay there for the rest of the evening, doing his homework. He snuck in the first night, but it was made clear by Madame Pomfrey that if he skipped a meal or snuck in again, that he wouldn't be allowed back in outside visiting hours, and Sirius for once did what he was told, scared that she might just ban him from seeing Remus.

Sirius would sit with Remus each day, and just try to work him out. He wondered how long Remus had suffered with this, and how many years he had spent avoiding making friends for fear that someone would find out. Did Remus have friends when he was younger? Maybe he did, before he was bitten, but his Remus, the Remus laying on the hospital bed was all alone. It wasn't right, losing everyone because a monster bit you as a child. For your own parents to not care because of something like that, it made Sirius angry and upset for his friend.

How could Remus have done this alone? Which brought up another question – how old had Remus been when he was bitten? How could Remus have held such a big secret with no-one to share it with?

Maybe if Sirius had tried harder, he could have worked it out. He was too focused on the suspicion that Remus' family were hurting him, that he didn't think to watch the dates better. If had he sat down and really thought about it, or considered why his friend was going into a tunnel under a crazy tree, instead of apparating or flooing home, he would have worked it out, and then Remus wouldn't have gone for the whole time at Hogwarts friendless and alone, and wouldn't be laying in the hospital wing with a new scar and injuries.

He knew he wasn't going to let Remus feel like that ever again. From now on, Sirius would always be there to look out for the quiet boy, to be his friend, someone for Remus to confide in. Maybe even be something more if he ever felt the same… and if Remus' family didn't care, then that was their loss. Sirius and James would be his family now, and Lily too.

Sirius spent the rest of the time reading some books that Madame Pomfrey had given him on werewolves, which were better than the ones in the library. He would lay on his bed reading them each evening after he was kicked out of the hospital wing. James and Lily would read a bit too, but he made his way through all the books, just in case Remus needed someone to talk to. It was this way that he found out an interesting fact about werewolves that got him very excited.

He quickly got off his bed and rushed over to James, smacking him with the book until he woke up.

"Fuck off, Sirius, I'm sleeping, it's 2am, what is wrong with you?" James shouted, throwing his pillow at Sirius, and immediately regretting the loss of it.

"I found something," he said excitedly, and lowered his voice when their other dorm-mate glared over at them.

"Can you both keep it down," Peter groaned.

"Oh, go back to Slytherin if you don't like it," snarled Sirius. "How you got put in Gryffindor still confuses me."

"Probably the same way you managed to get in here, Black," Peter said, nastily, before rolling over and going to sleep.

Sirius stood up to get his wand, but James had seen the cover of the book, and grabbed him by the pyjama top and pulled him onto the bed. He closed the hangings and cast a silencing charm.

"What did you find?" James asked, rubbing his eyes, knowing that Sirius would forget about Peter in seconds, once he remembered his news.

"Werewolves don't attack other animals," Sirius said, bouncing in place, due to excitement. "What if we tried again to be Animagi?"

James stared at him for a long time. "I thought we gave up trying to be Animagi last year, because you said you didn't want to do it anymore?"

Sirius shrugged. "I didn't have a proper reason for needing to be one, and now I do."

"Is it safe? I mean, we don't want to upset the Wolf again, because he might hurt us or hurt himself and end up in hospital, with worse injuries."

Sirius nodded. "It should be. We... well, I can't let him go through this alone anymore, James, I can understand if you don't join us, but I need to."

"Are you sure?"

Sirius frowned at him. "Anytime you want to ask me what I would do for Remus, ask yourself first, would you do it for Evans?"

James paused for a moment. "I would," he said. "I'll learn too, of course. Where did we get up to?"

"Meditation, and I had trouble sitting still and focusing, but then again, I did have a lot in my head, with my parents and everything. Now I have less going on, and my only worry is Remus, and the fact that we're going to complete this for him should help my concentration."

He stared at James, and James shook his head in confusion. "What?"

"I need the books."

"It's still 2am. Get some sleep, and I'll dig them out in the morning."

Sirius sighed, and got up from James' bed. As he lay down on his own, he heard James' sleepy voice follow him.

"You know I'd do almost anything for Lily."

"And I'd help you do it," Sirius said. "Otherwise you might screw it up."

**...~oOo~...**

As they walked to the office, Sirius could hardly breathe. He was excited that he was finally going to see Remus, but was angry at himself for taking too long with dinner, because if he had just been a little bit quicker, he could have been at Remus' side when the boy woke up.

But no matter, it was too late, and now they were going to go see Remus, and show him that they still cared, and that they still wanted him to be part of their life. Remus had refused their friendship for years, and Sirius didn't want this to be a step backwards. He feared Remus would try to push him and James away again, but Sirius wouldn't let him.

Caught up in his thoughts, Sirius didn't remember walking into the office. He barely even remembered going through the halls, but somehow he was sitting in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, and they were waiting. He vaguely realised that James and Lily were talking next to him, but he didn't pay attention.

Sirius had more important things on his mind. It was the realisation that Remus was even more alone in the world than Sirius had been. All the boy wanted truly was for someone to care about him, even love him, but he had no-one. Sirius knew what it felt to be alone, even though he had James, he had the Potters, but Remus didn't have a family like that.

Remus really needed a friend like James, and more importantly, Remus needed Sirius Black in his life, to cheer him up, to talk to him about his problems, to make him laugh and take notes in class for him, to bring him food after a transformation, to hold him when he was feeling alone and unloved, and to brush the hair from his eyes, when it fell into them all the time.

"You look really nervous, Black, you're not having second thoughts about being Remus' friend are you?" Came a voice, snapping him back into the world.

Sirius glared at Lily. "I would never give up on Remus, despite what you may think of me, Evans," he snarled. "I do believe that I'm a loyal friend at the very least, and I wouldn't let something get between me and the people who are important to me. What if it was James that had Lycanthropy? Do you think I'd stop being his friend? Of course not! So why would Remus be any different?"

Lily shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't think," she admitted.

"It's okay," he replied, trying to calm himself down. "But just remember that in future if we're going to be friends, Evans."

"We're going to be friends?" She snorted.

As Sirius went to reply, Dumbledore came into the room. He spoke to the three of them, confirming that Remus had woken up. Dumbledore headed towards the Floo as the group continued to talk.

"Well, we're all trying to be here for Remus, wouldn't it make sense if we could all get on, for his sake at least? Plus, I'm a good friend to have."

They paid no attention to Professor Dumbledore leaving to see the Lupins', and didn't hear the door opening behind them.

Lily shrugged. "Fine, friends than, I suppose, but for Remus' sake."

James looked delighted. "I could just kiss Remus, he's bringing me and Lily together."

He glanced at Lily, who was frowning at him, and at Sirius, who was glaring at him. "But I won't..."

They heard a door close behind them, and they turned around to see a confused Remus looking right back at them.

**...~oOo~...**

Remus and Professor McGonagall walked into the office, and Remus froze when he saw that three seats were already taken.

He stood at the back of the room, staring at the back of their heads for a moment, before he felt himself being softly pushed forward by Professor McGonagall, who closed the door behind her.

The three students who had been leaning into each other, talking softly, heard the door close. They moved away from each other, and they all turned around to look at Remus.

Remus started shaking his head. He opened his mouth a couple of times to question why Sirius Black, James Potter and Lily Evans were sitting on the seats staring at him, when he should be meeting with the headmaster.

He barely registered taking a couple of steps forward, before he noticed them all stand up. He lowered his gaze, scared to meet their eyes, wondering if they knew the truth.

The whole school might know, if students made it into the tunnel, and were dead, he was sure that the school would know, how else would the dead students... his victims, he corrected himself, have found out about the tunnel in the first place? All it took was one student to know about it.

Lily walked towards him, moving fast, and he backed up quickly, keeping his gaze lowered away from her face. He deserved whatever cruel words she had to say. He tensed as her body was inches from his, and suddenly, her arms were around him. He was completely and utterly shocked. Maybe she didn't know what he was?

"Lily?" He whispered, not understanding what was happening.

"It's okay, Remus," she said, her arms tightening around him, and he slowly, gently, brought his arms around her too. He concluded that she mustn't know, as who would willingly hug a monster?

She pulled away, and he felt a hand gently wrap around his shoulders. He glanced up to see James smiling kindly at him, as he led Remus over to the seats.

"Come and sit down, Remus," he said, his voice soft, and they stopped in front of Sirius.

He brought his gaze up to Sirius', looking fearful, as Sirius' reaction was the one he feared the most, but there was no disgust in his eyes, no anger, and Remus determined that Sirius didn't know his secret either. He felt Sirius' arms wrap around him, pulling him against Sirius and he gently brought his arms up too.

He didn't care about the reasons behind the hug at that moment, all he knew was that Sirius Black had his arms wrapped tightly around him, and it felt amazing, and safe... and it felt right. He felt James at his side, hugging him and Lily at the other and he made the most of what he guessed was his last moment with his friends, before he was going to be taken away.

He buried his face deeper into Sirius' shoulder, holding him tighter, and willing the tears not to come. He kept control of his body, and as he heard the Floo activate, he pulled away and the trio let go of him, smiling.

He couldn't smile back at them, his gaze slowly moved to the Floo, where Dumbledore stood.

"Remus, I'm glad you're awake. I have just returned from your parents' home to inform them you have woken up. Shall we discuss last night before they arrive?"

"They're actually coming?" He asked in shock, and Dumbledore nodded.

Remus looked at the headmaster in panic, before turning back to his friends. He opened his mouth to speak, and heard the door. They all looked around to see Madam Pomfrey enter the room.

"Everyone in the room is aware of your condition, Remus," Dumbledore said softly, and Remus looked at his friends again, terrified that they would be looking back at him with hate in their eyes.

They weren't, they still held the same looks, filled with compassion and kindness, which confused him. He turned back to the headmaster. "I don't think they do, Sir," he said softly.

Madam Pomfrey's eyes met Sirius', and he knew he would have to say it outright. "We know you're a werewolf, Remus."

**~oOo~**

Remus felt his head spin, and he quickly sank into the nearest chair. "But... No, that can't be right," he mumbled, his head sinking into his hands. "You're supposed to hate me now, I don't..."

"Remus," Sirius started, softly.

"Don't talk to me, none of you. You don't know what I did last night," he snapped, jumping up from his chair. "I smelt them as I came through the tunnel, there were people in there... there was blood... I'm a monster, don't you understand? How can you stand to be around me?" His gaze shifted between Lily and the boys for a second. "I kill people, Sirius, and you talk to me like I'm a normal person?" He turned to the headmaster, not giving Sirius, James or Lily a chance to answer him.

"Can you just call the Aurors, I don't know why we have to drag this out. Just let them come and take me away, I deserve it, I hurt people, just tell me who I killed last night!" Remus said, his voice filled with pain, making Sirius want to wrap his arms around him. "I knew one day this would happen, my secret would come out, someone would find me and I'd hurt them, I'd kill because that's all I am, just a monster..."

Sirius had called Remus' name, trying to get his attention to calm him down, but as Remus started to panic more and more, it was James that caught his attention.

"It was us in the tunnel, mate," James said loudly.

Remus stopped ranting and froze, his gaze shifting to James.

"You were in the tunnel?" He whispered, his eyes flicking between the three, before resting on Sirius. He could have killed the only people in the world who cared about him.

They all nodded and Remus sank back into the seat, his heart beating really fast. He felt ill. He could barely breathe.

"No, no, no. I didn't tell anyone," he muttered, his head in his hands. "I kept it a secret, I didn't talk to anyone, no-one was supposed to find out. I shouldn't have allowed myself to have friends, I don't deserve friends. Who would be friends with a monster? I could have killed them, the only people who care could be dead, and it'd be all my fault."

"Remus," Professor McGonagall said, trying to stop the muttering, but he didn't acknowledge her.

"A month, I only had a month with them and now I'm going to lose them too, the Wolf ruins everything, it's ruined my life, and now my friends. It could have bitten them!"

His head shot up, as he remembered the blood in the tunnel, and he looked at them, "I didn't bite any of you did I? Was that why there was blood in the tunnel?"

"Remus, you didn't kill or bite anyone," Dumbledore began, but Remus still look worried.

"It was my blood, probably looked worse than it did. I hit my head, massive headache afterwards, but nothing Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix," Sirius said, hoping to sooth Remus.

"I'm sorry, it was my..."

"Don't worry yourself about it, I don't blame you, so you shouldn't either," Sirius interrupted, not wanting to hear an apology from Remus.

"The reason I called you here is to discuss the consequences of that night," Dumbledore began.

Remus nodded his head. "Yes, I understand, now my secret is out, you want me to leave. I'll have my trunk packed straight away," he stood up. "Thank you, Sir, for giving me this chance to go to school here and letting me stay so long."

He made to leave, and Sirius rushed to get to the door before him, which wasn't hard, since Remus' leg was sore. Sirius placed himself between Remus and the door.

"No fucking way we're letting you walk out of here and out of the school, do you understand me?" Sirius said, sounding slightly angry, and Remus nodded nervously, feeling very unsure what was happening.

He took a step away from Sirius, not liking the annoyed look on his friend's face. Sirius' face softened, and he moved towards Remus, and put his arm around his friends shoulder, leading him back to the seats in front of the desk.

Before Remus sat down, Sirius was in front of him, forcing Remus to look into his eyes.

"Remus, you're going to sit down and listen to all of us. If you start mumbling or try to leave, I'm going to cast a silencing charm and a sticking charm. You're not leaving the school and we don't hate you. You believe me, don't you?"

Remus stared at him for a long time, waiting for something to happen, a cruel look, some harsh words – anything – but all he was faced with was Sirius Black, who looked like he still cared, the boy who had wrapped his arms around Remus and made him feel safe and happy. Remus finally nodded, and slowly sat back down. Sirius gripped his arm, presumably to stop him standing up again. It was strangely calming.

"Remus, I did inform you to keep your leg rested, so you need to calm down," Madam Pomfrey told him.

Remus looked at the headmaster. "I have no intention of asking you to leave, Mr Lupin," Dumbledore said, and Remus sighed in relief.

"I wouldn't let you leave, even if you wanted to," Sirius whispered to him, his fingers stroking Remus' arm gently. Remus decided he wasn't going to get up again, he wanted Sirius' hand to stay where it was.

"I don't know why you think you'd be expelled since you didn't do anything wrong," James said.

"Because you'd still be sharing a room with me, and... well, I'm a werewolf, a monster," Remus whispered.

"Well, we've shared a room with you for six years now without problems," Sirius said.

"I have a problem, and it's that you keep calling yourself a monster, and I don't like it," Lily added and the other boys nodded. "You're definitely not a monster," James said.

"Nope, not scary at all," Sirius grinned.

"I'm more scared of Lily on her time of the month, then you on yours," James said, and Sirius' laugh echoed through the room. Remus failed to hold back the small smile on his lips. "Ouch," James added, as Lily slapped him hard on the arm.

Sirius was shocked at how things were going. The way Remus freaked out, he'd never even heard Remus raise his voice, yet now he was freaking out, panicking, and worst of all, he expected everyone to hate him, to disappear. Remus looked scared as though he expected Sirius, James and Lily to be cruel. He could never be cruel. He wanted Remus to see that no matter what, he would always have Sirius. That wasn't going to change either. He just realised he would have to work harder then he realised.

"Mr Black, Mr Potter, Miss Evans, perhaps one of you could fill Remus in?" Professor McGonagall said, and they nodded.

"We didn't follow you, you know," Sirius spoke from next to Remus. "I went back to the Great Hall when you left the dorm. Snape found us when we were heading back, he told us about the tunnel and if we followed it, we could find you. He didn't mention you were a werewolf, and we were suspicious of him, but were so concerned with helping you, we didn't think, or even consider why you were in a tunnel under a psychotic tree, rather than having Floo'd or apparated home."

"I saw them rushing," Lily said. "They said that Severus sent them somewhere to find you. I found Severus, and forced him to tell me what was going on. He told me that he sent them after you and I forced him, at wand point, to tell me why. He told me you're a werewolf so I rushed after the two idiots to stop them. I knew that Severus would get a Professor, but was scared he wouldn't get one in time."

"We made it into the tunnel and were running for a couple of minutes before we heard Lily," James added, "but we also heard you... well, we heard you in pain, so we started running. Sirius was ready to kill someone, I swear, he thought you were being tortured or something. It was scary, the look on his face..."

They recounted the rest of the story for a pale looking Remus.

**...~oOo~...**

Remus stared back at the trio, as they finished telling the story of what happened. He was shaking slightly at how close he had been to killing Sirius.

"Sorry about your leg, Remus," Lily said softly.

Remus let out a cold laugh. "I deserved it, I should thank you, actually. Anyone else would have shot a killing curse if they'd a werewolf coming at them."

Lily looked shocked. "But that curse is against the law..."

"Not against werewolves, when in their wolf form," Remus muttered.

He felt Sirius' grip tighten on his arm slightly.

"We knew it was you and we had no intentions of killing you, Remus. We just needed to get out of the passage. We were trying to knock you back enough, or stun you, but neither worked, so we had to try and knock you out," Lily told him.

Remus nodded and tried to give Lily a smile. "And I'm glad you did – anything would be better than waking up to find out you've infected someone else or worse still, killed someone. I don't know what I would have done if I had hurt any of you worse than what I've already done to Sirius."

"I said don't worry about it," Sirius told him, with a smile.

"None of us want to see you hurt," James said softly.

Remus looked back at the headmaster. "So how many people know?"

"Mr Snape only told these three. I have already dealt with him and he will keep your secret. He has been informed that should he tell your secret to anyone, he will be taken to the Ministry and charged for endangering your life and the lives of Mr Potter, Mr Black and Miss Evans. He was reminded that Charlus Potter is the Head Auror, and I trust he won't say anything. I would like you all to leave this matter to me, and not try to get retribution."

Remus nodded and he rubbed his hand over his eyes, feeling mentally drained. "What happens now Professor?" He asked.

"Mr Potter, Mr Black, Miss Evans...I need all of your word that you will keep this secret for Remus. He's given up a lot to come to school here. He's never harmed anyone in the past and has worked hard to keep his secret. Hard enough that he wouldn't even allow himself to have friends or build any sort of relationship out of fear that anyone who got too close would work it out," Dumbledore said for Remus' benefit. He was aware that the three wanted to be Remus' friends.

Remus felt his heart beat and was sure the others could hear it. It was as though his heart was pounding out of his chest. He waited in anticipation for their answers. Whatever the other students said now would determine his last year at school.

Sirius was the first to speak. "We only keep secrets for friends."

Remus knew that was coming, he knew that they wouldn't want to be friends with a werewolf.

"So, it's a good thing that Remus is our best friend now," he added with a smirk.

"Wait, what?" Remus answered, shock evident in his voice. "You still want to be my friend?"

"Well, I'd be disappointed if you didn't want to be our friend anymore," Sirius told him. "Nothing's changed for us. We all still care about you, and know you're not going to hurt us or anything... and I really don't want you to leave, I just want what I've always wanted – to be around you..." He paused for a moment, "because you're my friend," he added quickly, ignoring James' smirk and Dumbledore's twinkling, knowing eyes.

Even Minerva and Poppy were trying to hold back smiles. Lily just looked slightly confused.

Sirius forced himself to stop talking, before he told everyone in the room everything, although he guessed it was a bit obvious due to the looks he was getting from everyone except Lily and Remus, who both seemed oblivious. Remus looked relieved that they wanted to be his friends and didn't notice his slip up.

But there was so much more that he was more then desperate to tell Remus.

"I agree with Sirius. Like I told you before, you're one of us now. I won't tell anyone either, just because you have a furry little problem, it doesn't change things," James said, grinning at Remus.

Remus snorted, a smile on his lips. "Furry little problem," he muttered to himself, with a smile.

They both looked at Lily and Remus followed their gaze. She walked over and threw her arms around Remus, and he flinched, but put his arms around her hesitantly. "Of course I won't say anything Remus, I just can't believe all these years, you've been doing this alone whilst at school."

She pulled away after a moment, and went back to her seat.

"Can I have a hug too, Lily?" James asked hopefully and she narrowed her eyes at him. "My hugs are reserved for Remus. He needs them more than you."

James frowned. "I need hugs too," he grumbled.

Sirius threw his arms around James. "Not from you, you tosser... I meant from Lily."

"Fine, I'll hug Remus instead," he muttered, throwing an annoyed look at James, before turning to Remus on the other side of him and throwing his arms around Remus instead.

Remus was quite amused by this point. He was staying, he had friends who knew his secret and still liked him, and Sirius had his arms around him. Why wouldn't he be smiling?

They all looked over when they heard Professor McGonagall let out a little cough. "As much as I like to see you both, Mr Potter and Mr Black, doing something so admirable, we should possibly move through this meeting. Mr Lupin needs to eat and rest," She gave a rare smile to the three boys and Lily.

For the first time in a long time, Remus felt as though everything would be alright. He smiled at his friends, the first real smile he had given since he'd woken up, and they all returned it.

"Thank you," he said, softly, and he looked around the room, towards the three members of staff that didn't flinch at the sight of him.

"I guess you're all wondering how it happened, I mean Sirius told me his story, I feel like I should share mine," Remus started.

As he opened his mouth to start, the Floo activated and a couple stepped from the fireplace.

"Albus," the man said, walking forwards.

"Ah, Mr and Mrs Lupin," Dumbledore said, smiling at them.

The smile on Remus' face dropped.


	10. Chapter 10

Remus stood up and took a couple of steps towards his mother, and she moved forward and kissed his cheek, before quickly stepping backwards. Remus slowly returned to his seat, a sad smile on his face.

The other students, with the exception of Sirius, all frowned. It looked like his mother was scared of Remus?

Sirius could see there were going to be problems. He could feel the tension between Remus and his father, it was thick and uncomfortable in the air. He remembered what Madam Pomfrey had told him about Remus' parents.

"Lyall, Hope. These students are Sirius Black, James Potter and Lily Evans," Dumbledore said. He turned to the three students. "These are Remus' parents, Lyall and Hope Lupin."

"So why did you call us here, Albus?" Lyall asked impatiently. "You said this was urgent?"

"I regret to have to tell you about this, but there was a malicious prank played on your son and the students in front of me," Dumbledore began.

"A student worked out Remus' condition and how to get into the tunnel. He told the two boys about the passage, without mentioning Remus' Lycanthropy, and Miss Evans followed them, getting them out of the tunnel. Your son has been in the Hospital Wing for over a week, as we've previously informed you. He has only just woken up."

"We knew he was in good hands with Madam Pomfrey, and it's not unusual for him to spend nights in the Hospital Wing recovering," Lyall replied coldly, his gaze on Dumbledore, who seemed lost for a moment.

Remus' mother, Hope, spoke up. "The student that played this prank, what action has been taken against him? Will he divulge Remus' secret?" she asked.

"He has been dealt with. He is under threat of me taking him to the Ministry for endangering the lives of four students. He will keep the secret. I fear expelling him will cause him to let the nature of Remus' condition slip, and as he is a student I would rather have him kept under my eye for the time being."

"Who was the fourth student that he endangered? You have only mentioned three?" Lyall asked.

"The four sitting here – Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, and of course, he endangered the life of your son," McGonagall said in an annoyed tone that she tended to use on the stupidest students.

Lyall ignored the annoyance in her voice and merely nodded his head. "Good that no-one was hurt, I'd hate for the boy to have to be put down," he said without emotion.

Lily and James looked at each other in shock, both them, and Sirius disgusted by Lyall's attitude. Sirius went to stand up, but James grabbed his arm, keeping him sitting down. Sirius stayed in his seat, but slowly withdrew his wand from the inside of his sleeve. Lily grabbed the wand from his hand. His other hand was on Remus' arm.

"I suppose we'll have to take him home?" Lyall asked, and turned to Remus. "Boy, go pack your trunk now, so we don't have to wait around."

Remus immediately stood, but Sirius jumped up too, grabbing his arm, and pushing him back into the seat. "Don't you dare move from that seat, you're not going anywhere. Didn't I tell you I wasn't going to let you leave?" Sirius said softly, before glaring at Lyall.

"He's not going," Sirius said loudly.

"That is not required. Remus has done nothing wrong, therefore is still welcome here," Professor McGonagall said, her icy tones aimed at the Lupins.

Lyall stared between Dumbledore and Remus for a minute, judging the situation, before settling on Remus.

"What do you want to do?" he asked his son.

"I'm staying," Remus said, his eyes fixed on Sirius, who looked overjoyed by his choice.

"Brilliant," Sirius whispered to Remus.

Lyall stared at Remus for a minute, his eyes narrowed slightly. "Fine. You can stay." He turned back to Dumbledore. "We wouldn't him to miss out on his education. Will the students be obliviated?"

"Why would you do that? We're not going to go and tell anyone," James said, scowling at Lyall.

"I see no need," Dumbledore answered. "Although the circumstances of what happened are regrettable, Remus has benefitted from this, as he's been able to make friends for the first time, as he's held back on doing so in the past."

The Lupins looked over the group.

"Mr Black in particular was possibly one step away from learning the truth himself. It's difficult to always hide everything when sharing a dorm," Professor McGonagall said.

"Remus' friends are trustworthy. If they weren't, they wouldn't be sitting here and I would have already obliviated them. I asked you here so you could tell them what happened. Remus could tell the story himself, if you would prefer?" Dumbledore asked.

Lyall looked around again, his gaze lingering on Sirius, who stared back defiantly, eyes narrowed.

"It all started when I accepted a job at the ministry," Lyall began. "At the time I was classed as an expert of Dark Creatures, so accepted a position in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Greyback was questioned about the deaths of two muggle children. The Ministry was a complete mess, the Werewolf Registry wasn't maintained properly and no-one except for me suspected him of being a werewolf. He claimed he was a muggle tramp and I insisted he stay at the ministry for a couple of nights, as the full moon was the following night. No-one listened to me... I got angry and insulted him, and said something that he took badly –"

"'All werewolves are soulless, evil and deserve nothing but death'. I think any werewolf would take those words badly," Remus spat out, interrupting his father.

Sirius stroked Remus' arm in hopes of calming him down.

"The following month the full moon came about again and I woke up to hear screaming," Lyall continued, as though Remus hadn't spoken. "I ran into the boy's room and there Greyback was, as a werewolf and Remus almost dead. I shot at him and managed to get him off my son."

"I was asleep, and I heard glass shattering in my room, which woke me up, and standing in my room was a werewolf," Remus mumbled.

"My son was in hospital for weeks. Werewolf attack wounds don't heal like anything else, they take a long time to heal. We didn't know if he'd even live after that," Lyall said.

"The looks I was getting even then in the hospital, people acted like I was about to jump up and attack them," Remus said. He jumped as Lily came around and put her arms around him.

"How old were you?" She asked.

"Five," he replied.

He felt Sirius squeeze his arm. He looked up and met the deep silver eyes and gave a slight smile.

Lily finally stood up and went back to her seat, her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't believe everything that Remus had been through, and to find out that he was dealing with all that at such a young age? Had his parents stopped him having friends all these years? She felt a fresh wave of anger at the Lupins, who seemed to care so little.

There was a long pause in conversation.

"Well, is that all you needed us for?" Hope asked, standing up, and glancing nervously at her husband.

Professor McGonagall made an angry noise in her throat.

Lyall stood up too, and started helping Hope into her coat.

Sirius looked pissed off.

"Did you not even look at him properly, do you not see his face?" Sirius asked in shock. "It's been awful for him, he broke his leg, his ribs, he dislocated his shoulder, and so much more."

"How do you know?"

"Because I spent eight days helping look after him," Sirius shouted, trying to get up, only to have James pull him down again.

Lyall turned around and stared at him. Hope looked pale.

"He's been handling this for years, he doesn't need us, or you, to baby him, we –" Lyall started.

Madam Pomfrey finally spoke. She was disgusted by their disinterest in their son, and although she had known what they were like for years, she had never experienced them before. "That's because the boy has had no choice but to do so, what child would want to go through that pain alone? I was the one who sent the owl informing you of his extensive injuries in case you cared to visit him. Where is your compassion for your child? It's not babying him, its showing kindness."

"We couldn't have come, he says he comes home every month and if anyone saw us and recognised us..." Lyall said.

"And as Poppy has said in every letter, we would be willing to set up a Floo connection in the office next door to the hospital wing for you to come in," McGonagall stated.

"It doesn't matter if they don't come," Remus started. "I'm used to doing this alone, and..."

"and you shouldn't have to, Remus," Sirius interrupted. "and from now on you won't have to, because you'll have us," he said, kindly to his friend, before standing up, pulling his arm from James, and turning to Lyall, anger crossing his face.

"Do you know I've spent the last two years thinking that Remus was getting beaten at home and when I saw the cut down his arm last month, and him trying not to limp, he couldn't tell me anything except deny what I was asking."

"We went to the Professors about it, only to get told nothing was wrong," James said, giving in to his own anger. He stood up, and moved to Sirius' side.

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions. You don't know who you are talking to. We are the ones that raised him even with his sickness, we clothe him, we feed him, we allow him to live in our home..."

"Yes, because he's your son and that's what you do for your children," Lily joined in, using the voice that was only reserved for James when she had been angry at him in the past. "You should also show him love and kindness and compassion and decency." She moved to stand on the other side of James.

"I will not stay here and be accused of being the sort of man that could beat his child, or mistreat him," Lyall said, looking towards Dumbledore. "These... children," he spat, "have no respect, and they don't know my son or me well enough to..."

Remus stood up and finally looked at his father. "Of course they don't know me well, you told me not to make friends, and I was stupid enough to listen to you. But they know me better than you do. I know you wouldn't beat me... that would involve touching me, and you haven't come near me in years, not to hug me or pat me on the back or shoulder – you act as though I'm going to pass my disease onto you." He spat, and his father took a step back.

"Do you know that after my last transformation before this one, Sirius was the one who tended my cuts, where I'd ripped myself open all night? Sirius – who I've only been friends with for a few weeks? Yet my own parents would come into the room when I was unconscious, put my clothes by the door and just leave the room, no matter how much blood I was covered in or however many cuts or bites I had? I had to heal myself, I had to push dislocated knees and shoulders back into place, more times than I can remember. I would only get help if something was broken and I had to call for you to help me."

"Sirius was in the hospital wing helping me after this transformation. He did a very good job too, in fact, he's been there every day, and Lily and James have stopped in every day, too," Madam Pomfrey said.

Remus took a step towards his father, putting himself between his friends and his parents.

"They only found out recently what I am, they came up against me in wolf form, and I could have killed them, but they _still_ care about me! They aren't scared to stand next to me, or hug me, or get my blood on their hands – they treat me like a real person instead of a worthless monster that should be put down. They still want to be my friends, and they have the choice not to be, and accepting that friendship, I don't feel like a burden on them."

"Remus, that's enough. I think you need to remember who you're talking to, because –"

"I'm done with you," he said softly, to his father. He had always hated how he had been treated, but never knew he could do better, yet three people who barely knew him had treated him so much better than his own parents, and it made him realise something. Surely it should be the other way around – his parents should have been the ones to accept him for who – or what – he was, and strangers who didn't know him should have been the ones that were weary or scared of him.

"When you finish school, you won't be saying that," Lyall snapped. "You'll be returning to us until you find means to support yourself."

Remus growled, and Lyall jumped back quickly.

"Not a chance, I'm not coming back," he said.

James grinned. "He has somewhere else to go, because me and Sirius were planning on renting our own place, and we've been meaning to ask Remus if he wanted to live with us, but we've not had a chance to do so."

Remus looked at them in surprise.

"Really?" He asked, and Sirius and James nodded. He turned back to his father, a smirk on his lips.

"Three teenagers without jobs renting their own place?"

"Yes..." James confirmed, "unless you want to rent with us, Evans?"

Lily shook her head. "I can think of nothing worse than living with you, James Potter."

"You won't be able to afford it, people won't hire werew-" Lyall started.

James interrupted him. "You forget, Mr Lupin, I'm James Potter and that's Sirius Black. Our names mean something. I'm the heir to the Potter family, and Sirius' Uncle Alphard has named Sirius as his own heir. Two big names from two powerful Wizarding families, who are best friends with a werewolf... we might be able to make a difference and change people's views."

"Remus will find work, if that's what you're worried about, if not in our world, there's the muggle world, where they don't pay attention to moon cycles. Most muggles don't believe in werewolves, so no-one will question him," Lily said.

"We'd rather Remus come with us than go with you, we love him, he's our friend and we actually see him as a person, not as a werewolf. He's only a werewolf once a month," Sirius said, stepping forward and throwing his arm over Remus' shoulder.

Remus smiled at his friends. He felt like he had never felt before. He had never had friends, and now he had three friends that accept him, and even want him to live with them. It was an amazing feeling, and he realised that he could have had this all years ago, and not spent all this time alone.

"I was told to not have any friends, that I'd be better off alone, but I wasn't. I've found the best friends anyone could ask for, and they've been more of a family to me over the last month... day even, than you have in all these years. I have never given you reason to believe I was a monster, yet you chose to treat me like one."

"He's a Black," Lyall roared, pointing at Sirius. "That family – do you know who they support? No wonder he wants to be your friend and bring you with him when he chooses the wrong side in the war... You know Voldemort wants the werewolves, he's just using you to –"

Lyall stumbled backwards as Sirius punched him in the face. Remus and James grabbed him when he went to throw himself forward again.

"I would not use Remus like that, he's my friend. I've tried to be friends with him for the past six years, and I've only know he was a werewolf for just over a week. The fact that he's a werewolf doesn't deter me because I'm not a fucking arsehole like you!" he roared at the man. "You are so full of shit, Mr Lupin, you treat your son like utter crap, your wife is scared to even speak out of turn, and you're trying to convince your own son that the only friends he's made, don't really care? What in Merlin's name is wrong with you? For the record I'm nothing like my parents, the same way Remus is thankfully nothing like his!"

Lyall stepped forward towards a struggling Sirius and found Remus face to face with him. "You don't want to lay a finger on him," he growled, his eyes glowing amber. Lyall looked shocked, having never seen the wolf behind his sons eyes before, and took a few steps back, standing just in front of his wife.

Dumbledore stood up. "I think, Lyall, Hope, that it's best you go back home now. If we need you again, I'll send an owl," he said loudly.

The Lupins moved towards the Floo, Hope looking between her husband, who was strangely blank, and her son, who tried to maintain a cold look on his face, but whose hurt shone in his eyes.

She walked closer to him, and brought her hand up to his face.

"I'm sorry, Remus," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, my darling."

"I know, Mum, I love you," he whispered, putting his hand over hers on his face. Lyall cleared his throat and Hope stepped back, the soft look she had given Remus gone, leaving her looking emotionless again. She turned and followed her husband to the Floo.

"Fuck me, I thought my family was cold..." Sirius started.

"Mr Black!"

"Sorry Professor. How much detention do I get?"

"I'm not giving you detention, Mr Black, but that doesn't mean I'll allow it to happen again," Minerva said, and Sirius could have sworn she actually looked proud of him.

Sirius tried not to grin at her, as the corner of her lip twitched.

"Not my mum, when my dad isn't around, I don't think she's as scared of me, she's a lot nicer," Remus said softly.

He looked towards Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall. "Is there anything else, Headmaster? Professor?"

They shook their heads. "I apologise for losing my temper," Remus said softly and he turned and left the room. He was shaking with anger and Sirius, James and Lily rushed after him.

"When I asked them here, I expected this to go the opposite way," Dumbledore sighed. "I thought seeing Remus opening up to friends might help his parents accept him more; seeing him as the boy he should be, and not as the quiet boy who hides away."

Professor McGonagall looked at the door they had all left through. "It would have been better for his father to accept him, but it's done now and Remus finally has people who care for him, which is what he needs."

"And love him." Dumbledore added, staring at the door after the students.


	11. Chapter 11

Remus looked over the stack of items by his bedside that Madame Pomfrey had sent up for him. He sighed and grabbed a change of clothes, bandages and all the healing salve he needed, and headed towards the bathroom. He dropped the items into the sink and turned to shut the door, but stopped when he saw Sirius right behind him, leaning in the door frame.

Remus was confused.

"Do you need to use the bathroom before I do this?" He asked, moving towards the door, as if to leave the room.

Sirius shook his head.

"I'm coming in to help you," he replied, smiling at his friend.

A nervous look crossed Remus' face, something that wasn't missed by Sirius, and before Remus could reply, Sirius turned around and looked at Lily and James. "You guys wanna get some food in here?"

Lily looked at James and nodded. "Sure," she replied and James smiled dreamily at her, before following her from the room.

Sirius watched them leave, started to pick up the things that Remus had dropped into the sink, and brought them out to the bed.

"Are you sure?" Remus asked nervously and Sirius nodded his head.

"Better to do it out here, there's a lot more space," he replied.

Remus sat down as Sirius went to get some water and a clean towel. When he came back, he sat down facing Remus and asked him to take off his shirt so he could deal with the injuries.

Remus looked at Sirius, not knowing what to say, and Sirius could see the fear in his eyes.

Sirius tried to look serious. "Remus, I already know you're a werewolf. I imagine you have scars, cuts and bruises under there. I'm only trying to help you – that's what friends do... I've already got James and Lily to leave so it's just you and me," he said softly, smiling at Remus.

He prayed that Remus could see the honesty in his face, and after a moment, Remus nodded slightly.

"I... it's just strange. I'm so used to hiding it," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders and trying to sound like it wasn't important, but Sirius saw straight through his words.

Sirius could tell it was important to him. He also knew that Remus had never once changed in front of them, or allowed anyone in the showers at the same time as him. Probably the only person who had seen his scars was Madame Pomfrey, and maybe his parents, back when he was younger.

Sirius' lips twitched. "You're daft, you know?" he told Remus, fondly. "I know all about covering up marks. Trust me on that, I know it's a big deal. You don't need to be all shy and nervous around me. I'm not going to run away just because you've got scars – I'm not going to think less of you or hate you or anything. I've already found out you're a werewolf, and I'm still here, so don't think something else would drive me away."

Remus nodded slightly.

"I swear it won't make any difference, in fact, I'll swear on my magic that I'll still want to be around you, if that makes you feel any better?"

Remus felt a tiny smile pull at the corner of his lips. "I believe you, you don't have to swear on your magic," he whispered, and started to slowly pull off his top, wincing slightly as he lifted his arm. Sirius wanted to lean over and help him, but felt helping Remus strip might be a bit much, and wouldn't try help unless Remus was struggling a bit more.

Remus sat in front of Sirius, topless. He felt an urge to grab his shirt and pull it back over himself, as he watched the dark-haired wizards eyes roam his skin, run over his arms and his chest, taking in the sight of some of the scars, the ones that the bandages didn't cover. He waited for Sirius' reaction.

"You end up like this every month?" Sirius asked, his eyes finally meeting Remus'.

Remus shook his head. "I'm not usually as bad as this, only this time I guess, since the Wolf wanted you all... and punished me for you letting free."

Sirius patted him softly on the shoulder, letting his hand linger. "I'm really sorry about everything, Remus, had I known..." he paused for a moment, trying to find a way to explain. "I mean, I hassled you about your dad, and to not go home in case you get hurt again, and then when someone tells me where I can find you, I just go running without thinking. If I had thought about it properly, it would have saved you some upset earlier, and you wouldn't have hurt yourself so much..."

"Don't be sorry," Remus replied. "It's nice to have people who care. I'm kind of glad that you all know, because it's such a relief not to have to hide it from everyone, I have you three to talk to about it, and I can be myself. I already feel like a different person."

Sirius grinned. "You can always be yourself around us. We're also very good at keeping secrets, so whenever you have something on your mind, feel free to come to one of us. We're your friends – your family, and we all care about you, okay?"

"Okay, thank you," Remus said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

After a moment, Sirius started to slowly unwind the bandages around Remus' torso, gasping at the marks underneath. Remus watched his face, but at no point was there any disgust or anything negative. He relaxed as Sirius cleaned him.

"I can manage my chest, it's just my back and-" Remus began, but he was silenced with a look from Sirius, who slowly worked the healing salve onto his body, and rubbing it in carefully, paying attention to the worst scars.

Sirius lingered in his task, secretly enjoying running the towel over Remus' chest, and stroking Remus' skin with his fingers. Soon it was time to work on Remus' back, and he moved around the bed, and he slowly and gently cleaned Remus' back and rubbed the salve into it.

Once Sirius had finished, he moved back around to face Remus. He wrapped clean bandages around him, his fingers accidentally brushing Remus' hard chest, and he started on Remus' arms. Again, he enjoyed it, as he got to examine Remus' muscular arms that were usually hidden. In fact, he couldn't recall a time where Remus actually showed his arms. Even in the summer, his sleeves were barely rolled up to his elbow. He worked as slowly as he could, without it being obvious that he was lingering, and finally all that was left was Remus' face.

"I think its best that you don't put a bandage over this scar, let it have air and heal overnight. Madam Pomfrey only kept it covered the last day since you kept reaching to scratch it. That's how she knew you were close to waking."

Remus nodded in agreement and watched as Sirius wet the towel and slowly dabbed at Remus' face, his other hand on Remus' jaw, holding his face gently as Remus flinched with each dab of the towel.

"Sorry," Sirius kept whispering, as Remus flinched time and time again.

Sirius put some healing salve on his hand and as gently as possible rubbed it into Remus' face.

Remus closed his eyes as Sirius did this, it was the most amazing feeling. Sirius' fingers were so gentle against his face, and they felt so soft. He could tell that Sirius was trying really hard not to hurt him.

When Sirius stopped, Remus' eyes quickly opened and they met Sirius'. Sirius had the same look on his face that had been there when Remus was leaving for the full moon, he still couldn't work out the look on Sirius' face, but it fascinated him.

Sirius cleaned Remus' face, and slowly and carefully applied the healing salve to it. He watched as Remus closed his eyes, and smiled to himself. Obviously Remus was feeling relaxed and enjoying what Sirius was doing, and Sirius decided that a relaxed Remus was a good thing, after the day the boy had had.

He took as long as he could in applying the salve and stopped, his hand still on Remus' jaw. His eyes darted to Remus' lips. They looked so soft and inviting. Sirius struggled to shift his gaze.

He managed to look back up just as Remus opened his eyes. He wondered if Remus would push him away if he kissed him. It was so tempting, he was so close, and Remus looked like he would let him.

His eyes darted down again. "Remus..." Sirius began, he paused, unsure what to say. Should he ask Remus if it's okay, or should he just make a move?

"Sirius?" Remus said, just as softly.

Sirius' tongue darted across his lips nervously, and as he made up his mind to move closer, and see if Remus allowed Sirius to kiss him, the door banged open and he quickly jumped back, and started tidying up. Remus sat in shock. He frowned for a moment and looked towards the door. Lily and James were walking over, both looking very confused.

He grabbed his pajama top and started to pull it on when Lily reached out her hand to stop him.

"Is that your bite mark?"

Sirius stopped what he was doing and they all looked, Remus looked pale, clearly uncomfortable with everyone looking at it, but realising there was no use covering it now.

"That's massive," James said.

"I was five when I was bitten that's why it looks so big," Remus mumbled.

"I still can't believe you were so young," Lily said, shaking her head.

"And your parents changed towards you, straight away?" James asked, and Remus nodded.

"It was just a bit at that point. The older I got, the worse they got."

"Well fuck them, you have us three now, family is over-rated anyways." Sirius told Remus, who smiled back, and quickly pulled his top back on, looking relieved that everything was hidden.

They all sat around on Remus' bed, and ate the sandwiches and biscuits that James had brought up. Remus' face lit up when he realised that there was a whole chocolate cake with ice-cream.

After they finished eating, Sirius lay down on the bed next to Remus and Lily got comfortable on Sirius' bed with one of Remus' books and James sat on his own bed, and stared at her with a grin on his face.

Remus felt relaxed, and caught himself thinking about Sirius, he wondered if he was imagining things, or was Sirius Black about to kiss him?

After a little while he decided that he was imagining it, he was confusing Sirius being nice and caring about him for something more. Why would Sirius want anything more with a monster like him? He was lucky to have a friend... Plus Sirius was straight, wasn't he?

He tried to remember seeing Sirius with a girl, or when he last asked a girl out. He could only recall Sirius flirting, he couldn't remember that happening for a long time, Sirius dating or Sirius asking a girl out. His thoughts turned to boys, yet Sirius never asked any boys out either. Remus wasn't sure.

He felt comfortable with Sirius by his side and felt his eyes droop.

Sirius looked next to him where Remus had fallen asleep and smiled.

James lifted an eyebrow and Sirius mouthed 'tomorrow' to him. They both looked at Lily who had dozed off on Sirius' bed.

"I guess I'll have to stay here... Don't want to wake Remus up, or Lily..." said Sirius happily to James, who grinned in return and started making kissy faces at him. Sirius just grinned back.

James got up and pulled a blanket over her, before handing one to Sirius who wrapped it around him and Remus. James then got changed and climbed into his own bed.

For a little while, Sirius struggled to take his mind off Remus' body. There were a lot of scars, but Sirius was thinking about Remus' body itself. The scars were kind of... hot, and Remus was skinny, but his body was firm, and his arms felt quite strong. When the thoughts got too much, he forced himself to stop thinking about Remus, and instead he tried to sleep.

**...oOo...**

The next morning Lily was the first to wake up. She looked around, wondering where she was. It took her a moment to realise she was in the boys' dorms still. She looked over at the next bed and saw James, fast asleep, his mouth wide open, sprawled across the bed. She rolled over and spotted Sirius and Remus cuddled up together on the bed on the other side of her.

She got out of the bed and folded the blanket, placing the book on top. She put her shoes back on, and snuck out of the dorm, but not before taking another look at Sirius' arm draped over Remus.

Remus heard the door close and he woke up, feeling very confused.

The first thing he noticed was that he was very warm. The second was that someone was laying behind him, with their arm around his waist.

He lay there frozen for a moment before he took a deep breath, which he regretted instantly, as it hurt to breathe deeply. Was it Sirius behind him? He slowly started moving to get off the bed, gently lifting the boy's arm from him when Sirius stirred and woke up.

Remus turned to look at him.

"Sorry, Remus," Sirius said, rubbing his eyes. "You fell asleep on me, and Lily fell asleep on my bed. Didn't want to wake either of you so I just thought I'd make myself comfortable. Hoped you wouldn't mind."

Sirius was staring at him, an unreadable expression on his face.

Remus shook his head. "Not a problem," he croaked out, climbing off the bed. "I think I heard the door close, it was probably Lily leaving."

Remus grabbed a pain potion, and quickly downed it, within seconds of setting the vial down, he had grabbed his stuff and headed towards the bathroom, and Sirius smirked when the door closed.

James took the empty space on the bed, having woken up. "Soooooo," he stretched out, "what happened yesterday?"

"Well I cleaned his cuts and then got to the one on his face, I rubbed the cream in and he seemed to enjoy it. So when I finally stopped, we're really close together, and my hand was on his face where I was holding it still. So I say his name, I don't know why – might have been to ask him permission, but then my mind goes blank and he says mine, but he sounded so... seductive and innocent at the same time... I mean, how is that possible to be both? But he did, and I was just about to kiss him when you turned up," Sirius blurted out.

James grinned. "Sorry mate, our timing was real crap... But at least you got a nice cuddle!"

Sirius nodded. "Best sleep of my life. I'm not even joking."

They waited until Remus had finished, and left the bathroom. He looked at Sirius and blushed slightly, and James and Sirius both went into the room to use the shower cubicles.

When they came out, Remus had tidied his side of the room and his book was back on his table.

"Breakfast?" James said, wanting to see Lily again.

They headed down and Lily was already at the table. She smiled at them all, and James sighed, happy to get a smile from Lily.

"Morning boys," she said chirpily.

They all greeted her in return, and Remus slid in the seat next to her. She leaned over to hug him and with a whisper, "you looked cosy this morning... Not to mention when we came into the room last night."

"I... I. No," he stuttered, and Lily pulled away. Remus frowned into his food, wondering if Lily suspected, or was just teasing.

She turned away, and started to eat, and Remus hoped it was the latter.


	12. Chapter 12

As they headed down to breakfast, Sirius tried to sort out his head. He had fancied Remus for a long time, and only a few days before, he had realised that those feelings had built up even more.

He, Sirius Black, was in love. Well, he had admitted the feelings to himself and James, whereas before finding out Remus' secret, he hadn't been ready to admit he was in love with a boy he barely knew.

But he had to keep in mind everything that had happened the day before. How stupid he was being. He had been about to kiss Remus.

Remus, who had just basically disowned his father, who had spent the day before in an emotional crisis, with thinking he had killed someone, that he had lost his friends, and then lost his family... and there Sirius had been complicating things further by almost kissing him.

Sirius could have kicked himself for how he had acted. He reminded himself that Remus really needed a friend right now. He would be Remus' friend and help him through, and one day in the future he would possibly consider making a move.

He'd pick a day where Remus wasn't feeling vulnerable, and where it didn't feel like he would be taking advantage of the emotionally distraught werewolf.

He remembered a conversation with Remus back when he thought his friend was being hurt by his family. The day he asked him again to be their friend. When he told the quiet boy about how his parents had found things in his room and discovered his secret, a secret that he had refused to tell Remus when he had asked. Maybe now he wouldn't be so scared to tell Remus, as Remus' secret was bigger than his. He hoped that his friend wasn't homophobic or anything, because he would hate for Remus to be disgusted with him. Maybe he would just sort of mention exactly what his parents had found, instead of telling Remus outright, and see how he took that before confirming his true sexuality.

They arrived at breakfast, and he took a seat facing Remus, glancing at him to make sure he was okay... well, as okay as he could be in those circumstances. Remus was more quiet than usual, which was to be expected, and he sat next to Lily, and started filling his plate. Lily leaned over and whispered into Remus' ear, causing Remus to blush slightly.

Sirius waited until Remus was done serving up his food, before filling his own plate. He was enjoying a bit of toast, when he saw a figure walk around the back of Remus and squeeze into the seat next to him.

"Remus, what happened to you?" came the voice of Michelle Abbott.

Remus froze for a second, trying to think of something to explain the scar on his face.

"Hippogriff attack," James said quickly, and Remus shot him a grateful look.

Michelle let out a gasp, and grabbed Remus' face, just as he was about to take a bite of his bacon, and pulled it towards her, trying to get a better look. He quickly untangled her hands from his face.

"Still a bit sore," he lied awkwardly, as he let go of her hands. He turned his attention back to his food, ignoring the sympathetic look she was giving him, and quickly ate the bacon, before she could stop him again.

"Is that what happened to your head last week?" she asked Sirius, and Sirius nodded.

"Remus got the worst of it, you know how he is. He saved my life, trying to stop the crazy thing from getting to me," Sirius said, dramatically.

"He saved your life?" came the breathless voice.

Remus raised his eyebrows at Sirius and James. The boys had obviously thought about this, he was glad, as he was oddly unprepared. He blamed it on Sirius messing up his head with his kindness and cleaning his wounds and being so careful with his face, and the way he rubbed the healing salve into his skin, and the way Sirius said his name...

He shook himself out of his thoughts, and continued eating. He planned to eat fast, so he could get away from Michelle. If he wasn't so hungry, he would have already made his excuses and rushed from the table. He wasn't in the mood to be dealing with her.

"He was very brave," Sirius said, solemnly. "I could have died if it weren't for him!"

Michelle let out a strange squeal that made Remus jump slightly.

"I'm so glad you're alright," she gushed, trying to hug Remus, who tried to slide discreetly up the bench out of her reach, but only managed to bump into Lily who was sitting next to him.

"Sorry, Lily," he said softly, before glaring at Sirius, having decided to blame him for Michelle's actions, as his words seemed to be encouraging her.

"I still have some injuries that can't be touched," he said to the handsy girl next to him, and that thankfully seemed to placate her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'll be careful. I just think it's amazing how you saved Sirius' life, how brave of you," Michelle gushed.

"He's my hero," Sirius announced, and Remus narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired boy across from him. Sirius would pay somehow for this.

"Do you have any other injuries? I could help you to class if you need me too?" Michelle offered, putting her hand on his arm, and gazing at him with a love-struck look on her face.

Remus looked to his friends for help, but they were useless. James was snickering behind his sleeve, Lily was watching them as one might watch a movie, and Sirius, well, Sirius was sitting looking completely innocent, but Remus could see the amusement in his eyes.

"Um, I'm good thanks, I mean if I need help I have my... my friends," he replied, smiling slightly on the word 'friends'.

"Oh," Michelle said, looking a bit put out. "Well, if you do need anything, let me know. I mean you've missed a lot of lessons, maybe I could tutor you?"

"Thank you, but Lily has already offered," he lied.

Michelle shot Lily an annoyed look.

"Hey, Abbott, I think Remus needs a few days to recover from his ordeal, he needs to eat to get his energy up," Sirius said, and Michelle's eyes widened.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Remus, I didn't mean to bother you, we can talk properly when you take me to Hogsmeade next weekend!"

Before Remus could answer to tell her that they wouldn't be going to Hogsmeade, she had walked away.

"What just happened?" Remus asked, laying his head down on the table in front of him.

"Looks like you got yourself a date," James answered, laughing as Remus banged his head on the table a few times.

Sirius quickly cast a cushioning spell under Remus' head, stopping him from banging it down again.

**...oOo...**

Michelle wasn't the only girl who made their way to the table, the usual girls that fawned over Sirius came over, hinting at Hogsmeade, and Sirius ignored them for the most part.

"So who are you taking to Hogsmeade, Sirius?" a petite Hufflepuff asked, giving him a sickening smile.

"Remus," he replied, after swallowing his food, "and James and possibly Lily too, although we haven't thought of asking her yet?"

He glanced at Lily and she shrugged and nodded, as if to say 'why not'.

"Oh, but when you're done with your friends, are you taking anyone to –"

"No, I'm going with my friends," he said firmly, ignoring the disappointed look on her face as she walked away.

Remus watched her with wide eyes. "How do you make it seem so easy?"

Sirius shrugged. "It's not easy, they never leave me alone. I used to be nice, but they didn't get the hint. Now, I know it seems a bit mean, but at least they don't assume like Michelle did with you."

"So, none catch your eye?"

Sirius shook his head. "They're not my type," he said, sharing a look with James.

Remus felt confused. "So what's your type?"

Sirius glanced up at him with a look that made his breath catch.

"You'll find out soon," he told the Werewolf and Remus struggled to tear his eyes away, when Sirius winked at him.

"Yeah, I've noticed you've had a lack of dates recently, Sirius, any reason behind that?" Lily asked. "The... girls... not up to standard?" She asked, raising an eyebrow, and Sirius shot her a dark look.

"No, I have no interest in them," he said, his eyes nervously flickering to Remus, which told Lily everything she needed to know. She turned back to her food with a smirk on her lips, ignoring the looks both James and Sirius were giving her. James' full of devotion, and Sirius', uncertainty.

**...oOo...**

Throughout the rest of the week, a few other girls had approached Remus after hearing about the attack. None of them were as bad as Michelle, but he still felt frustrated by their overly helpful attitudes.

All they would do was offer to help him or tutor him, or drop hints about Hogsmeade. His mood wasn't doing too well, and his friends could see his eyes flash in annoyance, before he would put on a calm face, turn to the girls and politely refuse every offer from all of them.

"Remus? He heard, as he came out of the boys toilets. He spun around angrily, but realised it was only Lily, and felt relieved.

"Happy to see me?" She teased.

He nodded. "I just want them to leave me alone," he said, frustrated. "I hate this. I'm starting to think that nowhere is safe."

"What is it you hate? Being the centre of attention, or the fact that it's girls and not boys paying attention to you?" Lily asked and Remus looked at her shocked, and quickly ducked his head, refusing to answer.

"It's okay, it's not like I'm going to say anything, or judge you," Lily said with a shrug. "When the boys find out they'll be the same. They both really care about you."

Remus stayed silent.

"Friendship is important to them both, and somehow we're a part of that now," she added.

"Am I that obvious?" He whispered.

She shook her head. "I only suspected by you both sharing a bed –"

"No," Remus exclaimed. "You fell asleep in Sirius' bed, and I didn't even know he shared mine until I woke up. He said he didn't want to wake either of us up, and said he hoped I didn't mind him staying in mine, he was only there because he was being nice, Sirius is straight," Remus explained, trying not to blush at the thought of waking up in Sirius' arms.

Lily stared at him with a look he couldn't place.

"I see," she finally said, a thoughtful smile on her lips, as she began pulling his arm to get him to walk with her to dinner.

As they walked over to the table, Michelle saw them and walked over.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Remus muttered quietly, so only Lily could hear. Lily tried to hide a smile. She had studied with Remus for years, but it was very rare to him his swear.

"So, Remus, what time should we meet tomorrow? Do you want to meet me in the Entrance Hall, or at Madam Puddifoots?"

Remus looked to Lily for help.

"You owe me," Lily mumbled, before grabbing Remus' arm and pulled him close.

"Oh, Michelle, haven't you heard? Remus is taking me to Hogsmeade," she said, stroking her hand up Remus' arm and smiling up at the shy boy.

The hopeful look on Michelle's face dropped and she stared at Lily.

"You?" She spat.

"Yes, me," Lily said, a smug smile on her lips.

"But Remus –" Michelle began, stepping towards him, and he stepped back, his gaze on the floor.

Michelle looked back at Lily.

"It isn't enough you have James under your thumb, then you get Sirius and Remus too? Don't you care about your reputation? Don't you care about what you're doing to poor Remus' reputation?"

Her words were loud, and they were heard by everyone who wasn't already paying attention. Sirius and James stood up from their seats, ready to go over.

"Wait, what are you implying?" Lily snapped, the smile dropping from her face, and a scary look appeared. One that was usually reserved for James.

"You should be more careful about your reputation. We all know you spent the night in Potter's dorm the other night, but the question everyone is asking is whose bed were you in? Or do the boys just share you? Don't act innocent, you hated James Potter, ignored Sirius Black, and only spoke to Remus during lessons and study group, and now suddenly your best friends with the lot of them – the three best looking guys in school – sitting with them in class, hugging them, always touching them –"

"If you really want to know," Remus snapped, loudly, cutting Michelle off, "It was the night I came back after my attack. Lily came to help me because she's my friend, and she fell asleep because it was really late. Boys can't go into the girls' dorms, so none of us could bring her to her own room. Instead she was left sleeping in the bed ALONE," his voice was full of anger, and his tone was one no-one had ever heard come from him.

"You expect me to believe –" Michelle started.

"Gideon and Fabian Prewitt... They told me some interesting stories about you, Michelle," Remus hissed. "In detail. Apologise to Lily, or the whole school finds out."

"You wouldn't," she said, shocked.

Remus grinned, and Lily could see the wolf in Remus' grin and in his eyes.

"Wouldn't I? You don't seem to realise what I'd do for my friends."

Michelle stared at him for a long time, trying to determine if he was capable of such things, and Lily herself had no doubt in the fact that Remus wouldn't let this girl badmouth her.

It was that moment that Lily realised how protective Remus really was. He stood up to his father for the first time when he thought his father would hurt Sirius, and now he was defending her. She already knew she would protect Remus the best she could too.

"I'm sorry, Lily," Michelle said, stiffly.

"One more word about her reputation, and I will ruin yours," Remus hissed, before leading Lily away.

As they watched Lily and Remus walk over, James looked angry.

"He's taking Lily to Hogsmeade? I can't believe he would-"

"I think she's only saying that to get Abbott off his back," Sirius interrupted.

"But what if they start going out?"

"Then we're both screwed, aren't we?" Sirius said. "But I doubt that'll happen. Remus wouldn't do that to you."

"I hope not," James mumbled.

"At least he stood up to Abbott, she might back off now. Bit rude what she was implying about Lily and us," Sirius said, as Remus and Lily reached them at the table and sat down.

As they ate, Remus couldn't work out why James seemed so off with him.

**...oOo...**

A few hours later, they were sitting in the dorm.

Sirius had helped clean his cuts with as much care and attention as the previous day, most of them healed enough to leave the bandages off, but there was no kiss, and Remus wondered if he had imagined it the previous day.

Lily had taken up on Sirius' bed again, reading one of Remus' books, James was flicking through a Quidditch magazine, and Sirius lounged next to Remus.

Remus was trying to read, but found himself very distracted by the body that he could feel next to his. The leg that was touching his leg, and the shoulder that was touching his own. He also found James' gaze distracting, but in a completely different way.

Remus knew he wasn't imagining the looks James was giving him, and finally he decided to say something. He reached for a bookmark on the table, and slipped it between the pages, before closing the book and putting it down. Maybe James was having second thoughts about being his friend – he wouldn't blame him if he was, Remus knew if that was the case, he'd just accept it.

"Just say it, James," he said, his voice sounding stronger than he felt.

"Say what?" James asked, frowning at him. Lily looked up from her book, and Sirius sat up from his position on the bed.

"I know what you're thinking, just say it, let's not drag this out," Remus sighed.

James stared at him for a moment. Had he focused properly on Remus' face, he would have realised that the boy looked really worried and rejected, but James was angry, and could barely look past the memory of Lily cuddling into Remus' arm.

"Okay, you want me to say it, I will. I don't like it, Remus, I really don't. It's too much to deal with. I can't believe you would think this would be okay to –"

Remus tore his gaze away from James, he had expected this, but it still hurt hearing the words he had dreaded since the day he agreed to be their friend.

"Okay, I understand, you can stop there," he interrupted, barely above a whisper. "Sirius, I'd like to be alone please," he added, and Sirius reluctantly stood up off the bed, confused.

Remus drew the curtains, and the trio heard him mutter a two-way silencing spell.

Sirius moved to his bed, next to Remus' and sat on the edge, a frown on his face. He had expected Remus to deny that there was anything between him and Lily, but Remus hadn't. Could that mean that James was right?

Lily looked at James in shock.

"You... you, how could you?" Lily seethed, getting up and turning to James.

"Well, I don't like it!" James confirmed, his arms folded.

Lily walked over to him, and he quickly stood up from his bed.

"You fucking sadistic idiot. How dare you?" she hissed, her hand coming up and slapping him hard, shocking both boys. "You're supposed to be his friend, you told him you didn't care, that it made no difference? How could you do this to him?"

James glared at her, angry that she had hit him, and shocked that she had sworn. He reached up to fix his glasses, and opened his mouth to reply, but realised her words didn't make sense.

"Wait? What?"

"We are his friends though," Sirius stated, standing back up, unsure what to do. Whether he should comfort Remus, stand by James whilst Lily possibly murdered him, or try to get sense out of Lily. He started bouncing slightly, unable to hold still as he was itching to check on Remus, but had decided to hear this out first.

"That's not what Potter just said," Lily screeched.

James and Sirius looked confused, and James registered that he had gone from being called James back to being Potter. He had considered her calling him James, as a stepping stone, showing she was warming to him, and he seemed to be right back where he started, and he wasn't entirely sure how.

"You just told him that you don't like this, and it's too much to deal with. How cruel can you be? I thought you had grown up, and now you've just hurt him."

James still looked baffled.

"Lily, what are you talking about?" Sirius asked.

"I'm talking about Potter, acting so mature, acting like he didn't care that Remus was a Lycanthrope, and now telling Remus that it was not okay. What kind of person are you? I'm ashamed to have even considered us friends this past week. You're sadistic and cruel, and –"

"I was talking about you and him going on a date to Hogsmeade," James interrupted, a shocked look on his face. "... Wait, he thinks that I..." James went pale. "Shit, no, I didn't mean that I didn't want to be his friend, of course I want to be, I just thought he was after you. I just wanted him to back off from you."

"There is no me and him, I was just getting Michelle off his back. Remus and I will never be anything more than friends," Lily snapped. "I thought you idiots would have realised that, or at least had the decency to ask? Not that it's any of your business, Potter."

Sirius looked towards Remus' drawn curtains, knowing Remus hadn't a clue what was going on, due to the silencing spells set.

"But, you're always hugging him and putting your hand on his arm and stuff," James said.

"Because he needs it," shouted an exasperated Lily. "Imagine growing up in a home where no-one cares for you, where you're ignored, feared even. Where you've had to rely on only yourself constantly. Do you know he flinches every time I hug him because he's not used to people touching him? Did you not hear what he said to his dad about never hugging him, and do you see how his mum acted with him? The poor boy is starved from physical contact. He needs to feel normal."

She gave a knowing glance to Sirius. "I'm sure you understand some of that, Sirius," she said, her tone slightly softer, before turning back to James.

"If that were me, I'd be happy if I had friends who weren't scared to hug or touch me. Besides, it's not like I'm touching him inappropriately," she fumed. "He's spent years being neglected, he needs to realise we're not scared to touch him, or hug him, or be his friend. His parents have brainwashed him, and we need to fix all the damage they've done to his head. That's what I've been trying to do, and hoped you were doing."

"I... didn't think –" James mumbled.

"Of course you didn't, you don't ask to find out, you just glare and cause problems and act like a child, rather than talk to your friend. He clearly thought the same as me – that you had a problem with his lycanthropy. He's probably wondering what he's going to do after school if he can't live with you, whether he should have stayed here at Hogwarts or gone home when his father told him to, and whether he'll have to go back to his parents, all because you couldn't ask us what was really going on. I wouldn't be surprised if he's writing a bloody apology letter to his parents as we speak."

Sirius had heard all he needed to. He had only stayed there so he could find out the truth so he could talk to Remus, knowing exactly what the problems were. He realised this was going to turn into another Lily and James argument, and that he could leave them to it, and he could make sure that Remus knew the truth.

He peeked through the curtains, and saw Remus' back to him. He walked around the bed, and opened the curtains on the other side enough to slip through, pulling them tight behind him as he pulled the covers back and climbed into the bed facing Remus.

Remus stared at him with hollow eyes, and Sirius could make out his shaky breathing.

"You don't have to say anything, Sirius, I kinda had a feeling it would be too much –" Remus whispered, but Sirius cut him off.

"James is a giant prat," he told Remus softly. "He didn't mean it as it sounded. Of course we want to be your friends."

With those words, the dark cloud that had settled over Remus seemed to ease up, and he stared at Sirius, seeing the truth on his friends face. He felt was so relieved. Sirius' fingers moved to his face to gently wipe away a couple of tears.

Sirius pulled him close, hoping that hugging Remus would help calm him down. He felt Remus flinch slightly, before relaxing in his arms.

"He was talking about you and Lily, he thought you and Lily were being real earlier, and he was jealous. He was trying to say that it was too much if you were dating Lily. We don't care that you're a werewolf. I promise. He didn't even realise that's what you thought until Lily slapped him."

Remus felt Sirius stroke his hair, and he made the most of Sirius holding him. He didn't know how long they lay there, but next thing he remembered was the curtains opening, and James' embarrassed face appearing. James pulled the curtain back, and Remus realised it was morning. He had spent another night in Sirius Black's arms.

He tried to sit up, but Sirius' arms tightened around him. James moved away from the bed. "I'm going to take a shower, afterwards, can we talk?" He asked, his voice soft. Remus nodded.

He looked back at Sirius who was still asleep, and tried to remove Sirius' arms, but Sirius was holding tight.

"Sirius," he said, realising his only hope was to wake Sirius up. "Sirius."

"Hmmm?" Came a sleepy voice.

"I need to get up," Remus replied, and Sirius opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Oh, sorry, was I stopping you?" He mumbled, letting go on his vice like grip on Remus and rubbing his eyes.

"Don't worry, it's okay," Remus replied, already missing having Sirius' arms around him.

"You fell asleep on me, I knew you were upset, and was worried about waking you... again."

"Sorry," Remus said.

"That's two nights this week now. I should really move my pillow in here if this keeps happening," Sirius teased, and Remus shyly smiled at him.

"Just to make sure... these two nights, you're not... uncomfortable about them or anything?" Sirius asked, nervously. "Because if you are, next time I'll go back to my bed."

"What if Lily's in your bed?" Remus asked.

"Well, I'll sleep on the floor or something," Sirius replied.

"I can't let you do that, it's bad for your back. I don't have a problem with it," Remus said, looking towards the bathroom door, trying to hide the blush.

Sirius smiled from his spot on the bed.


	13. Chapter 13

James came back into the room a few minutes, later, and he waited for Remus to take his shower, before they sat down to talk.

"I didn't mean that I didn't want to be your friend," he told Remus, his voice gentle. "I was saying that I couldn't deal with you dating Lily, I was going to explain last night, but you were both asleep. I was trying to work out a way to ask you to back off from her."

"I don't fancy Lily," Remus said, softly, his gaze shifting to the ground.

"I'm so sorry for how I acted, I should have just spoke to you, instead of all this," James said. "I still want to be friends! Don't ever doubt that."

Remus smiled, his eyes flicking back up to James' face. "Yeah, me too."

There was a brief pause.

"So, why don't you fancy Lily?" James asked.

Remus and Sirius looked at him questioningly.

"Does it matter?" Sirius mumbled quietly.

"Well, because she's very attractive," James continued.

"She is," agreed Remus, "she's also funny, smart and kind, but I honestly don't fancy her."

"But you just said-"

"Doesn't mean I fancy her, just means I can understand why you do."

"But she's perfect, surely-" James continued.

"I don't disagree with you, it's just that-" Remus interrupted.

"You'd be lucky to be with Lily, she's amazing-"

"I don't fancy her because I like boys," Remus blurted out, the pressure of the questions frustrating him. There was silence and Remus realised what he had said, and his eyes widened.

"Shit," he whispered, jumping off the bed, and rushing out of the door.

James smirked at Sirius. "You're welcome," he told the bemused boy.

Sirius looked at him in horror. "That was not okay, James," he said, standing up and rushing out of the door.

Part of him was happy to find out that Remus liked guys, but the rest of him wanted to punch James for pushing at Remus until he admitted it. He had a strange feeling that James had planned this, and that feeling only got worse when he realised that he had left James and Lily alone so he could sit with Remus the night before. Who knew what they had been discussing and planning?

He managed to catch Remus on his way out of the portrait hole, as Lily had stopped him. "Remus, what's wrong, did James apologise? Don't tell me he messed it up?"

Remus shook his head. "I... he kept pushing and asking and I just... I told them and they know, I just need to go for a walk," he said, sounding panicked, and shooting a look in Sirius' direction, as Sirius caught up to him.

"It's okay, Lily, I'm in the mood to go for a walk too," Sirius said, smiling at Remus, who kept his eyes on the ground, and refused to look at Sirius' face. "If you and James can get ready to go to Hogsmeade? We'll be back up soon. You might want to have a word with him about what he's just done, too."

Lily nodded, her gaze shifting to Remus, before her mouth set in a grim line as she headed towards the stairs.

The boys headed outside and walked in silence as they neared the lake. Remus picked a spot and sat down, Sirius sitting down next to him.

"You need to stop thinking that we're going to turn away and not be friends," Sirius said, softly. "I don't care that you're a werewolf, or that you're gay."

"But what about James?" Remus whispered.

"Well, he doesn't care either."

"How can you be sure?" Remus asked, throwing stones into the water.

"Because for a start, it means you'll never make a move on Lily... which to him is the most important thing, and if he was homophobic... well, it'd make it difficult for me and him to be friends," Sirius admitted, watching Remus closely.

Remus' head shot up.

"Wait, are you... gay?" Remus whispered, shocked, and Sirius nodded.

"How comes no-one knows?"

Sirius smiled, and there was a lingering silence as Sirius thought of how to explain himself.

"Well, I guess it's been easier for you, you've felt that you've had to distance people, so no-one would have guessed. You make yourself blend in, you force yourself to be un-noticeable, and few people actually noticed you, although me and James always did. With me, I'm always in the spotlight. I'm not talking about the pranking or being loud or anything, I'm talking about being Sirius Black, the heir to the Black family, the one who got sorted into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin."

Remus looked at Sirius, who was picking blades of grass as he spoke.

"No matter that I'm now disowned, and disgraced, that I live at the Potters' house... I'm still Sirius Black, I'm practically a celebrity, and I hate it. Basically, there is always someone talking about me. I hate that people know the ins and outs of my life, but this is something that people don't know, until I choose for them to know. I'm not ashamed or embarrassed, and when I get to be with the guy that'll make me happy, I'll not even need to think twice about showing the world that I'm gay, but for now I like that I have this big thing in my life that people actually don't know. Well, a few do, The Potters, and James know, and I suspect that Dumbledore and a couple of members of staff suspect the same... Lily I think knows, or at least suspects as she's been hinting about it to me, and finally, you know. I see it as something I have control over, it's something that won't get found out until I choose to share it."

"Is that why you left home?" Remus asked, softly, moving a bit closer to Sirius and leaning his shoulder against Sirius', hoping it would offer him some sort of comfort.

"My parents found gay magazines hidden in my room. I don't know what they were more angry about – the fact they were gay magazines, or that they were Muggle ones. My parents kicked me out after that, but they tortured me first. It was worth it though, because it meant I was free from everything. I don't think I could have coped without James, and that's why I wanted to be there for you. Because I do care, I always have, even when you weren't ready to be my friend, and I knew there was something wrong. I needed you to know that there was someone out there that would be there should you need it."

There was a pause as Remus took in the long speech Sirius had just given.

"Thank you, I know I should have accepted your friendship a long time ago. If I had known you would care so little about me being a Werewolf, I'd have not worried so much about making friends, and maybe I could have been there for you when you needed help."

"The difference is that I had James. It was worse for you, because you didn't have anyone."

Remus stayed silent at that observation. He knew it was true, but wasn't sure how to respond. Sirius picked up on it quickly and changed the subject slightly.

"Did you ever tell your parents?" Sirius Asked.

"No, my parents didn't know," Remus told him. "I didn't want to make things that little bit worse. They just about tolerated me as it was."

"Well, me, James and Lily, we're never going to be like that. We'll all accept you no matter what."

Remus smiled.

"So any more secrets, Remus? You're not really a women, or secretly in love with James?" Sirius asked, with a laugh.

Remus chuckled. "If I was a women, you cleaning my chest would have been extremely inappropriate, and James definitely isn't my type."

"So, who is your type?" Sirius asked, glancing shyly at Remus. "Is... there anyone you like?"

Remus' gaze moved back to the ground as he gave a slight nod. "I...I..." he whispered, nervously.

"You don't have to answer that," Sirius said, quickly, and Remus sighed in relief.

"I don't want to keep more secrets from you all, but I don't know if I can say."

"I understand," Sirius said. "That's a secret we'll leave you with. I'm actually glad about finding this out, because it'll be nice to have someone to talk to about all this. So few people know, and with James, he doesn't mind me talking about boys, but he doesn't quite get it. It's just me talking most of the time."

Remus nodded. "Well, you can talk to me, if you want."

"Great, I'd like that. So, what sort of things do you like in a guy?" Sirius asked, before he laughed slightly. "Sorry, I just have never been able to have conversations like this."

Remus laughed too. "Same here. Well, I like taller guys, confident guys," Remus offered, carefully choosing traits of Sirius' that he was attracted to, but choosing ones that hopefully wouldn't give him away. "Smart, but without being bookish like me... someone who will accept my Lycanthropy, I guess the last one is the most important one, I mean I wouldn't want to go out with someone with that secret between us. What about you?"

"I think I like the opposite of what you just described," Sirius said, focusing on the fact that Remus had vaguely described him. "I like guys a bit shorter than me, but not too short, someone who doesn't care that I'm Sirius Black, from the Noble house of Black, and only cares about the guy behind the name. Confidence isn't a problem, I can help him build that, and I have enough confidence for the both of us. I like smart, too. Guys curled up with books... Gotta admit that does something to me," he grinned to himself, thinking about all the times he noticed Remus curled up on his bed with a book, his fingers stroking down the spine of it as he read.

Remus couldn't help but think about the fact that he lay on his bed, reading every night. Did Sirius ever notice he would curl up with a book?

"Have you ever kissed a boy?" Sirius suddenly asked him, snapping him out of his thoughts, and Remus shyly shook his head. "It's not like anyone notices me, I've kept myself hidden after all," he explained, his face reddening.

"Have you kissed a girl?" Sirius asked, and Remus shook his head again. "I knew I was gay since I was thirteen, I felt no need to test myself. I've never felt the slightest hint of attraction to girls. You?"

"I've kissed girls before, you know, back when I didn't want to admit that I was gay. I gained a bit of a reputation as a heartbreaker... well, the truth is that I felt nothing for each of them and moved on, hoping that I'd feel something for the next girl. That's the only reason I went through all those girls. I'm not pleased with my reputation because it gives people the wrong impression of me. I certainly didn't sleep with any of them, and I don't know how those rumours got started."

"Any guys?" Remus asked, softly.

"No," Sirius whispered. "Though I'd like to," he added. His gaze on the grass in front of him. He looked up suddenly. "Kiss them, I mean, well the other stuff too, but for now I'm happy with just kissing." He took a breath.

Remus smirked at Sirius getting slightly flustered. "Well, if guys knew that you were gay, they'd all fall over themselves to ask you out. You're the be..." Remus stopped talking.

"I'm the what?" Sirius asked.

"Don't make me say it," Remus mumbled.

"No, you have to now," Sirius said, a grin on his face.

"You're the best looking bloke in the school, after all."

"My dear Remus, are you trying to flirt with me?" Sirius asked, sounding delighted.

"Shove off, Black," Remus muttered, his face flushed red.

"Well, I would have said the same about you," Sirius said, with a wink at the blushing Werewolf next to him.

Sirius thought hard about what to do next. It was the perfect opportunity to ask Remus for a kiss, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't keep trying to make a move when Remus was vulnerable. He had to wait until a time where Remus wasn't upset, or hurting, or suffering from a full moon. He would try when it had been a good day, a happy day. Maybe when they had a chance to do an activity together. Maybe not in Hogsmeade today, but maybe at the Halloween Party the following week.

Remus waited to see if Sirius said anything more about kissing. It sounded almost as though Sirius was interested, but Remus knew that wouldn't be possible. How would he get a guy like Sirius? He let out an inaudible sigh, and stood up, offering Sirius a hand up.

As they walked slowly towards the castle, Sirius decided to fill the silence, hoping that what he said got through to Remus somehow.

"I just want to be very clear on something."

Remus nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Me, James and Lily are in this for good. We're not going to drop you as a friend, we're not going to grow bored of you, we're not going to freak out in the future about you being a Werewolf. We've offered our friendship and that's a lifelong offer. Unless you try to murder us in our sleep, or try to shag James or Lily, I think you'll be stuck with us for good."

"What if I get bored with you lot?" Remus teased, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that only James and Lily were on the 'no shag' list, and Sirius hadn't mentioned his own name.

"Oh, that'll never happen, because I'm Sirius Black," Sirius said, confidently, and Remus let out a laugh.

"Like I was saying, we're in this for good. Whatever you need, you come to one of us, mostly me, because we understand each other better, and James just wants to talk about Lily all the time, and Lily is a girl, they can be too complicated."

Remus nodded.

"So make sure you forget all the bullshit your parents told you about not having friends, and with that, you forget all the crap they made you feel, because you're a good...no, you're an amazing guy, you deserve so much more than they offered you. They brainwashed you, Remus, they made you think you're nothing, but that's not true. You are important, and you deserve happiness the same as anyone else."

"But-"

"My parents had me brainwashed to think that anything different was wrong. When I first realised I was gay, I was disgusted with myself and ashamed, because I thought it was wrong. I realised that they talked utter shit, of course, but it had been drilled into me for a long time. It's hard to let go of the cruel words, and I know it'll be just as hard for you to let go of the cruelty."

He paused, hoping the words sunk into Remus' mind.

"No matter that I'm a Black, and you're a Werewolf, neither of us should let that define who we are. I'm a Black by name only, and you're a Werewolf once a month. It's not something that should take over our lives. We're both free from their oppressive crap, and from now on, we're both going to lead normal lives. You're my family now, Remus, alongside James, and alongside the Potters, and I want my family to be happy. I want James to marry Lily and have little Quidditch playing babies, and I want to see you happy, to laugh and joke around with us, to not worry that you'll lose us, to fall in love, to have a real life. You're amazing, Remus, and if others don't see that, if your parents don't see that, they you don't need those sort of narrow-minded people in your life. We accept you."

They reached the castle doors and walked in, heading towards the Common Room, and Remus finally spoke, after taking the words in.

"Sirius..."

Sirius' looked at him with a slight smile.

"You're right. We shouldn't let others dictate our lives, because I see now that I could have had all this years ago. Thank you, Sirius."

"It's okay, that's what friends are for. We look after each other," Sirius said, nudging Remus' arm with his own.

"I'm glad you're nothing like your family," Remus said.

Sirius grinned widely. "Oh, and why is that?" He asked.

"Because if you were like them, you wouldn't be consorting with a Muggleborn, a Werewolf and a Blood Traitor... in fact, you'd probably be in Slytherin, becoming best friends with Snape."

He laughed at the look of horror on Sirius' face. "I wouldn't be able to tell you which part of that is worst. Slytherin or being Snape's friend," he replied, with a shudder.

As they walked into the Common Room, Lily looked over and grinned at them. Remus grinned back and Lily left the girls she was talking to, and went with them up the stairs to their dorm, ignoring the whispers that followed.

As they closed the door, James rushed over.

"Fuck, I'm making a right mess of this friendship, aren't I? Sorry about basically everything I've done, or said, or even thought, since you walked in to dinner with Lily yesterday."

Remus grinned. "Not to worry, James," he replied.

"Wow, you're very forgiving, if it were me, I'd have him begging to be my friend again," Sirius said, dropping down on Remus' bed.

"Don't you have your own bed?" Lily asked.

"This one's more comfortable. The house-elves are clearly playing favourites."

"Clearly," Remus said, the corners of his lips turning up as he looked at the boy laying across his bed, his head dangling over one end, his legs over the other.

Remus quickly looked back at Lily and James, who were both giving him a knowing glance. He narrowed his eyes at them.

"What now?" he asked, and Sirius quickly looked up, hoping that no-one was upsetting Remus again.

"Nothing," they said, in unison, but Remus wasn't convinced. They looked suspicious.

"Remuuuuus," Sirius called, in a whiny voice. "I'm bored. Come keep me company."

Remus turned from the shifty looking redhead and guilty looking James in front of him, and walked over to the bed. He settled cross-legged by the pillows so he wouldn't disturb Sirius.

He vaguely wondered how he had no friends when he started back, and now somehow, events had led to him having Sirius Black lounging across his bed.

"I think after the eventful morning we've had, we should pull out that bottle of Firewhisky you have hidden under your bed, James," Sirius suggested.

"But-" James started.

"Yeah, I agree, it's not everyday you go from being accused of stealing Lily, to being forced to admit you're gay," Remus said, making James feel guilty.

"But it's only half ten. We could wait until later? It's a Hogsmeade weekend," James said.

The others sighed loudly, but agreed.

"So... you told them?" Lily asked.

Remus nodded.

"Wait. She knew?" Sirius said leaning up on his elbows to look at Remus.

"She guessed last night, before dinner," Remus replied.

"It's cute that you're together," Lily said, smiling between the both of them, and seeing matching looks of surprise.

"Wait, so you assume we're together?" Remus said.

"Just because we're both gay?" Sirius finished.

Lily went red and looked at James, who was looking embarrassed.

"Well, I thought... you went running after him pretty fast, and you were gone for a while," James said.

"James, we only found out about Remus just over an hour ago, and he's only known about me for about me for 45 minutes... an hour tops. Plus he left here upset, I'm not about to take advantage," Sirius said, shaking his head. "What? Did you think we disappeared so we could shag?"

Remus blushed at the thoughts that crossed his mind at those last words of Sirius'.

"Now, don't be mad at me, I just assumed-" James started, looking between them both.

"I'm not mad, just in the future, think before you speak," Sirius interrupted, with a sigh.

**...oOo...**

As they boys finished getting ready, and James searched the room for his missing shoe, Remus decided to take the opportunity to ask them a question.

"Okay, so how the hell do I stop the girls from pestering me?" Remus asked them.

"I think you either need to come out, or suddenly become unattractive," Lily said.

"But I'm not attract-"

"You are, mate," Sirius interrupted, and Lily nodded her head.

"Plus the scar, makes you look a bit dangerous," Sirius said, with a wink at the blushing Werewolf.

Lily laughed. "Remus you're so cute, that's why. All... innocent looking. Girls love that. They love that you read for fun, they probably all dream about you reading them something like Shakespeare on a picnic with floating candles and stuff."

Remus snorted. "Werewolves are not cute," he replied, and the others laughed, "and Shakespeare? Really?"

"So I've heard," Lily confirmed. "Well, you were a very fluffy werewolf," she giggled.

Sirius laughed at that. "Maybe next month we could throw sticks for you?"

"Yeah, go on Moony go get the stick, there's a good boy." James joked.

Remus joined in the laughing. It was nice that even after faced with his Werewolf form, they could turn it into a joke, something that made it seem like less of a burden. He knew that would change as the full moon approached, but for now, it made it easier.

"We can tame you. If you're good we'll feed you chocolate." Sirius added, before sitting up and an excited look overcoming his face. "Wait, that's perfect," he exclaimed.

"What is?" Lily asked, with a giggle.

"Feeding me chocolate, hopefully," Remus said, smiling at the thought, and Sirius grinned at him.

"Moony. That can be your nickname."

His smile dropped, when he realised it wasn't about chocolate. "Wait, so let me get this straight. First off, I'm not getting fed chocolate? Secondly, I've been landed with a nickname?

"Yes," they said in unison.

Remus frowned. "Just don't let people hear it, in case they guess..."

"Don't worry, my lovely Moony," Sirius said. "We won't let your secret out."

Remus lay back on the bed and let out a groan.

"So, does this mean you lot aren't going to feed me chocolate?" He asked, sounding disappointed, and he watched Sirius walk over to his own bed, and return a moment later with a chocolate bar, which he broke up and handed around the group.

Remus reached for his bit.

"Wait, I thought you said you wanted it fed to you," Sirius said, trying to shove the chocolate in Remus' mouth. Remus tried to push Sirius away, but Sirius pinned Remus down, and refused to get up until Remus opened his mouth for the chocolate.

He climbed off Remus, looking pleased with himself, and Remus glared at him, as he ate it.

"Prat," he said softly, pretending that Sirius pinning him down didn't leave adult thoughts in his mind.

Sirius was sitting grinning at the others. His thoughts weren't much better than Remus'.

"So are you and Lily going to Hogsmeade later?" James asked, trying to sound as though he didn't care.

Remus shrugged. "To be honest, Lily, you'd be better off going with James."

"Nope," Lily said firmly.

"James is single though," Remus added hopefully, and James threw a grin at Lily.

"But he's so immature," she said, acting as though James wasn't listening.

"Yeah, very, but he's mature when it matters," Remus told her.

Lily narrowed her eyes. "You're siding with him?"

Remus smiled at her.

"Bros before hoes, love," Sirius said before realising his words and clamping his hand over his mouth. "Oh shit," he mumbled.

"And people think I'm the stupid one," James mumbled, as Sirius backed away from an angry Lily, who was holding a wand in his face.

**...~oOo~...**

As Remus fixed Sirius' nose, he looked at Lily with a grin. She thought the conversation was over, but he wasn't' going to give up.

"But you have to admit James has been more mature this year..."

"I guess," she mumbled.

"And extremely kind and loyal, I mean how many people do you know that would accept a werewolf as a friend?"

"Yeah, ok fine... he is, but last night and today-"

"Was a massive misunderstanding, so you should let him take you to Hogsmeade."

"Wait, I'm not agreeing-"

"You refused to date him because he's immature and mean... well you just admitted he isn't, so it's only fair you give him a chance."

"But... he... I can't-."

"Don't be cruel, I think he's proven himself, don't you? Plus, you haven't agreed to go with anyone else yet, I mean you were going there with me, and I've cancelled on you now."

"But I wanted to go to the bookshop," she said, rushing the words before Remus could interrupt her again.

"Well, why don't you go to the bookshop, and meet James afterwards, he can go into the Quidditch shop or something?"

Lily sighed, realising that Remus wasn't going to give up. "Fine, I'll go."

James pinched himself, and then grinned. "It's real!"

"You idiot," mumbled Sirius.

"Remus got me a date with a princess," James whispered, but everyone could hear.

"One more James, and I'll cancel."

James refrained from his next comment, and turned to Remus.

"I owe you one," he said.

Remus smiled at him. "What are friends for!"

"So, who's the lucky guy going with you, Remus?" James asked.

"Oh, I'm not going to Hogsmeade. I was just going to head to the library."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Why not?"

Remus shrugged.

"I've never seen you go there," Sirius said and Remus shrugged again.

"I never bothered."

They all looked at him. "You've never been?" James asked, shocked.

"No," Remus muttered.

"Well, that settles it, I'm going to make you go there and show you all the shops. You should try some of Honeydukes chocolate, best chocolate you can get."

"I know, I order it in sometimes, plus you force-fed me it a few minutes ago," Remus pointed out.

Sirius grabbed his jacket, and picked up Remus', passing it to him. They waited for James to get his on before Sirius led them down to the Common room. They waited for Lily to grab hers, before heading out of the castle.

"You know, I'm glad you lot found out," Remus said. "It's nice to have you all as my friends."

"Why do you sound so surprised that we are?"

"Because of what I am," Remus replied sadly.

"I don't agree with what people say about Werewolves, I don't think you're soulless or evil and I certainly don't think you deserve to die," Lily said softly.

Remus looked back at her, his eyes shining amber. "I'm glad," he whispered.

Sirius looked closer. "What does it mean that your eyes are amber?"

"Wolf," Remus stated. "It's when I have heightened emotions."

"So you're half Remus, half Moony?" James began.

Remus nodded. "Are you going to keep calling me that?"

"Well it's either Moony or your furry little problem..."

Lily and Sirius started laughing, even Remus gave a smile.

They reached the carriages heading towards town, and climbed in.

"Are you alright after yesterday?" James asked Lily, who looked confused for a moment.

"Oh, you mean with Michelle?" She asked, and James nodded.

"Well, it was Remus that dealt with that. He basically blackmailed her," Lily smirked.

Sirius looked delighted. "Remus Lupin, I never thought you'd have it in you. What do you have on her?"

"Something to do with Michelle and a certain pair of red-headed twins."

"The Prewitts?" James asked, and Lily nodded.

They all looked at Remus expectedly, and he sighed. "Okay, so last year before they left, I was doing rounds, there was a party, and I was looking for Lily, as she was supposed to help me, but I found her passed out in the chair, so I put her upstairs in her bed, before doing rounds by myself."

Lily blushed. "I was wondering how I got to bed," she said.

"How did you get into the girls dorms?" James asked urgently, but Remus ignored him.

"So I'm walking around, and I spot Michelle leaving a classroom, the boys following, and they're all touchy feely with her, and as I'm about to go over to say something, but she turns to go into her Common Room, so I go over to the twins, not wanting to take points, but I didn't have a choice, rules are rules and whatnot... but they talked me out of it, and then they started bragging. They told me exactly what they were both doing to Michelle in that room."

"So what were they doing with Michelle?"

Remus gave him a look.

"I told Michelle if she spreads anything about Lily again, everyone will hear exactly what happened. I made it clear I don't like people messing with my friends," Remus said, his eyes flashing.

They all smiled at him.

"We wouldn't let anyone mess with you either," Sirius said.

Remus smiled slightly. "I noticed. I'm really sorry about my parents," Remus said softly. "I never had a chance to say before, I've been trying to get my head around everything that has happened."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for, it's not your fault that your parents are awful," James replied.

Sirius shrugged. "I expected worse, I mean I thought for a long time that your mum was sick and your dad was beating you. Attitude wise, they were as expected."

Remus smiled at Sirius. "McGonagall told me that you had gone to her and Dumbledore more times than she can remember, about my parents to make complaints and you even requested to go with me to see my parents."

Sirius blushed slightly. "Yeah, well... I was really worried, the state I would see you in – I was scared that one month you'd go and not come back again."

Remus smiled softly at Sirius. "Thanks for caring."

He looked over at James to say the same thing and then looked at Sirius with wide eyes. Lily was staring at James, as they sat in the carriage, a thoughtful look on her face, and James kept messing up his hair, very nervous that Lily was paying him any sort of attention that didn't involve an insult.

"Lily?" Remus said and she quickly looked around. "You're going to give James a panic attack."

Sirius chuckled and Lily blushed.

Sirius spoke softly. "Remus, I'm sorry I punched your dad... and screamed at him."

Remus started laughing. "I'm not, it was bloody brilliant." Sirius started smiling again, glad that Remus wasn't upset over it. "I mean, you stood up for me, I never expected to even have friends when I walked into that office."

"And when you growled at your dad it was awesome. You should growl more often, it's extremely..." Sirius opened his mouth to say 'hot' and realised his slip-up quickly. "Brilliant," he said instead, knowing it didn't make as much sense.

James smirked at him, a look that was missed by Remus.

"Brilliant?" Remus looked at him fondly. "Did I mention that I'm really lucky to have you guys as my friends?"

"We're the lucky ones," Sirius said, throwing an arm around Remus' shoulders, he felt the other boy stiffen for a moment, and he moved his arm. "Sorry," he said.

"No, it's ok, I'm just not used to it."

There was a long pause, as the trio thought back to Lily's words about Remus' parents the evening before.

Remus looked away, bringing his arms around himself in the cool air. "Sorry," he said softly.

"Well, that's not your fault mate, we'll get you used to it," Sirius said, grabbing Remus and hugging him tightly, almost sending him off balance.

Lily leaned across the carriage, throwing her arms around Remus, and James hugged Lily.

"We're supposed to be hugging Remus," Lily said, and James continued to held on to her tightly, letting out little happy sighs.

Lily tried to look annoyed, but a smile played on her lips, clear as day to Remus and Sirius, who smirked at each other.

"So do you have any wolfie powers?" James asked him, as they let go, and started to climb out of the carriage in Hogsmeade.

"Like what?" Remus asked.

"Super strength? Super speed?" James suggested.

"No, I'm not a superhero, James, I'm a Werewolf."


	14. Chapter 14

Sirius grabbed Remus' arm immediately, leading him to the bookshop, where he knew Remus would want to go. Lily went to follow them, but was quickly stopped by a glare from Sirius. He wanted to make it clear that Lily and James needed to go and do their own thing. He had been looking forward to having Remus alone, and he wasn't going to let the interfering Witch get in the way of that.

She turned to James.

"Well, I guess I'm going to the Quidditch shop with you, but after that we're going to the bookshop," she demanded, and James followed her, grinning.

He looked back to see Sirius looking at them, to make sure they weren't following him and Remus, and offered a thumbs up to his friend, which Sirius returned.

"I hope his date goes well," Sirius said, before pulling the door open, allowing Remus to go through first.

He told himself it was polite, and had nothing to do with how Remus' arse looked in his trousers, although it wasn't hurting anyone that he was looking.

Remus walked into the bookshop, oblivious to Sirius' eyes lingering on his behind, and his eyes lit up. Sirius watched him walk over to one of the shelves, and start to read through titles, and he admired the boys figure for a moment, before he headed to another bookshelf, and pretended to look through them too. He chose one where he had a good view of Remus, so he could watch the way Remus' fingers ran over each book spine as he read the titles, and how that hand would linger on an interesting book for a second before he pulled it from the shelf.

Remus walked around slowly, taking deep breathes. He loved the smell of bookshops, the smell of new books specifically. He also enjoyed the feel of them, the crispness of the new pages, and the fact that he was the first person to open them, the first person to read them. He always tried to take a copy that looked like it hadn't been touched before.

He examined all the rows of books, his eyes scanning the spines, looking for ones that stood out.

As much as Sirius was enjoying watching Remus, he was starting to get a bit bored. He headed over to Remus. "Find anything good?"

Remus nodded eagerly, balancing a stack of books in his arms.

"I think these will do for now," he said, happily, and they headed to the counter.

Sirius watched the way Remus carefully placed the books down, and grinned.

"Bloody hell, Moony, you'd think they were worth a fortune, the way you're treating them."

Remus blushed. "Well, books are amazing," he replied, shyly.

"Not my sort of thing, but I know you like them, that's why I brought you in here," Sirius replied, watching the books get wrapped up. "I just want this da...y out to be fun for you." Sirius silently cursed himself, he had almost called it a date.

He glanced at Remus, and he didn't seem to have noticed.

"It will be," Remus assured him. He was out with Sirius after all, which meant that there was very little that could ruin the day for him.

Once Remus picked up his parcel, Sirius led him out of the bookshop and grabbed his hand, leading him into the Quidditch shop, where they passed Lily and James, who had been waiting impatiently.

Well, Lily had been impatiently waiting to go into the book shop, but she grinned when she saw Sirius holding Remus' hand and leading him along. Remus clearly didn't mind.

Sirius took great delight in showing Remus around the Quidditch shop. He had no idea if Remus liked Quidditch, as he'd never seen him at one of the games, or mention it, but he didn't know as much about Remus as he would have liked, and he was determined to find out more about this amazing boy. He watched Remus look around in interest, and grabbed Remus' hand, pulling him over to the section on Quidditch books, and Remus watched as Sirius grabbed The History of Quidditch and pushed it into his hands.

Sirius looked thrilled when Remus flicked to the first page, and read through for a moment, before buying the book.

Once Sirius had bought a broomstick servicing kit, he led the way out of the shop, debating with himself about whether they should next visit Zonkos or Honeydukes.

"What do you want to do next, Remus?" He asked, and Remus looked around, a pensive look on his face.

"It's around lunchtime, right? Do you want to go get some food?" He suggested, and almost fell over as the whirlwind that was Sirius grabbed his hand and started dragging him off to the Three Broomsticks.

Sirius suddenly froze. "I just want to make sure that you don't mind me pulling you around like this? I think you're too nice to say anything if you don't like it or anything," Sirius said, still holding Remus' hand.

Remus quickly shook his head. "Oh, I don't mind, I mean I'm not used to... people touching me, I should get used to it, right?"

Sirius grinned. "So it's good for me to do stuff like this to get you used to it," he said, boldly, before turning and pulling Remus along again.

They walked in, and Sirius let go of his hand. They noticed James and Lily sitting at a table together. Lily was actually smiling, and James looked like he was in a daze.

"I bet you a Honeydukes Chocolate bar that he'll wake up tomorrow thinking he dreamt this date," Sirius muttered.

"Nope, I know a lost cause," Remus said, with a smile. "It's not worth risking my precious chocolate."

Lily looked over and waved them over, but Sirius glared at her, and shook his head from behind Remus. Remus turned to look at Sirius.

"Do we go over there, or not?" He asked.

He was quite wary, knowing that James had wanted this date for so long, plus he was feeling a little bit selfish, wanting Sirius all to himself for the day. But on the other hand, James and Lily were his friends now too, and if Sirius wanted to sit with them then he would do that. Whatever Sirius wanted.

"I think James wouldn't be impressed if we intruded on his date with Lily," Sirius said, grabbing Remus' hand again, and leading him away, missing Lily's wink and Remus' blush.

There was no way he was sharing Remus. It might not officially be a date, but it wasn't far off. Remus was his for the day. Hopefully longer, but he'd plan that soon enough.

**...oOo...**

"It's funny that we've seen them three times, and all of those times, Sirius has found a reason to grab Remus' hand," Lily said.

James had his face resting on his hand, and a dopey grin on his face. He nodded his head in agreement.

"Are you even listening to me, Potter?"

"You have beautiful eyes," James whispered in reply.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"When you roll your eyes, you still look beautiful," James informed her.

**...oOo...**

"Okay, what me and James usually do is take turns paying. He pays one trip, I pay another. I think I've lost him to the red-haired vixen over there, so this time it's on me," Sirius said. "Order whatever you'd like."

Remus looked over the menu, biting his lip, unsure what to have. "Surprise me," he said, finally.

Sirius jumped up. "Butterbeer, or Pumpkin Juice."

"Oh, um, Butterbeer, please," Remus decided, and he watched Sirius rush away.

As he was waiting, he let his gaze wonder over to Sirius. More precisely, Sirius' bum, which was looking extremely nice in his jeans. Did Sirius need to wear such tight jeans? Remus contemplated how Sirius had actually managed to get those jeans on his body. He let his gaze linger as Sirius leaned on the bar. Sirius moved to look around, and Remus quickly looked away, his gaze shifting across the pub, where his eyes met James', who smirked at him.

Remus looked away quickly. Not good! Did James see him checking out Sirius? He felt panicky for a moment, looking back at James, who saw Remus biting his lip. He slipped out of his chair, after a word to Lily, and walked over, sliding into Sirius' seat.

"Yeah, I did see, and no I'm not going to say anything," James said, realising quickly what Remus was nervous about.

Remus looked relieved.

"Not that it would annoy Sirius, in fact he'd be pretty happy, he'd brag about how nice his arse is for weeks, if he knew it was being checked out," James laughed.

"Oh, well thanks, I appreciate it, you not saying anything to him. How is your date with Lily going?"

"It's going good, but she keeps talking about books. Muggle books?"

Remus smiled. "Well, a word of advice. Don't pretend you know them, just tell her that you haven't heard of them, as they aren't known in the Wizarding world, and ask her to tell you about them. She'll talk about the stories, so listen carefully and ask questions. If she mentions anything that sounds interesting, ask her if you could read the book, but only do that if you will actually read the book, otherwise don't say it."

James smiled. "Will it work?"

"You're showing that you're interested in what she has to say, and that you know books are important to her. She knows they aren't as important to you, so you doing this shows the effort you are making. You actually reading one of the books would impress her, but if you're not certain, run the name of the book by me first."

"Great, thanks, mate," James said, smacking him on the shoulder as he stood up, just as Sirius got back to the table.

He raised his eyebrows at James, willing James to get lost. He loved James like a brother, but James knew better than to interrupt his date. He wouldn't do that to James and Lily, after all.

"Just asking Remus for advice," James said, grinning at Sirius, before walking away.

"He was stuck on how to handle Lily talking about books," Remus explained, and Sirius nodded.

"You know, I don't mind books. I just never find any good ones, plus I can't sit still and focus on the pages for long. I mean, if someone were to read them out to me, I'd listen," Sirius said.

Remus laughed. "What type of books?"

"Action books, adventure, I don't mind really."

"I have a book, it's called Lord of the Rings, I'll read it out to you," Remus offered, shyly.

Sirius grinned. "Great, let's clear our plans for the next couple of nights and –"

"Couple of nights," Remus scoffed. "It'll take a lot longer to read it to you, you know. It's a trilogy."

Sirius pondered that for a moment.

"Well every night for the foreseeable future, I'll get some hot chocolate from the kitchens and you can come sit with me and read to me, and if I like the story, I'll share the hot chocolate with you."

Remus grinned. "What if you don't like the story, then I don't get any, hardly seems fair."

Sirius grinned lazily. "Fine, you get the hot chocolate first, but you have to make sure the story keeps my attention, I mean, I'll be giving up all my free nights."

"Throw in some Honeydukes chocolate, and you've got a deal," Remus said, and Sirius laughed.

"And I'll share some of my chocolate," Sirius agreed.

"Deal," Remus agreed, with a grin.

**...oOo...**

Sirius went to the bar, ordering for each of them, for starters, some Butterbeers and the soup of the day, which turned out to be vegetable, then steak and onion pie, with roast potato and beans, and for desert, chocolate brownie ice cream sundaes.

He sat down again with the drinks and asked about James, trying to steer the conversation to something Remus enjoyed – books. The conversation, he felt, had been a success. He had somehow agreed to get Remus to curl up with a book (which was a massive turn on) and read the book to him. The book could be boring as hell, but the sound of Remus' voice wasn't and he could make any story interesting. Hell, Remus helped him with history, talking about the bloody troll wars, and goblin beheadings, and made them sound fascinating.

He felt quite excited at the thought of curling up next to Remus, and listening to his soft voice for the entire length of these hopefully very long books. Maybe he could somehow talk Remus into running his fingers through his hair as he listened.

The soup was brought over almost immediately, and they ate slowly, enjoying the freshly made soup. Remus scooped the remainder of the soup up with the bread, before grinning at Sirius.

"That was a good choice," he said. "I love vegetable soup."

Sirius didn't point out that a few years of watching the other boy, he knew exactly what Remus liked to eat, and he listened as Remus started talking about their Charms assignment, enjoying the sound of his voice.

The main dish came out not long afterwards, and Remus' eyebrows rose when he saw the food.

"Sorry, did you want something else, I was in the mood for –"

"No, I mean, it's perfect. Thanks, you're quite good at this, aren't you?" Remus said, and Sirius tried to maintain a straight face.

Finally it was time for desert, and Sirius grinned as the chocolate brownie ice cream sundaes were placed in front of them.

"I thought you might attack me if I didn't get you chocolate," Sirius joked, and Remus laughed.

"You clearly know me better than I realised."

Sirius' eyes shifted up from the ice cream to meet Remus'. "Oh, Moony, you have no idea," he said, with a wink, before picking up his spoon.

Remus was frozen for a moment. He wondered what Sirius meant with his comment, and then scolded himself for thinking that there was more to it than whatever innocent way Sirius really did mean it.

That was until Sirius' eyes met his, and suddenly Remus struggled to breath. He quickly excused himself and found himself leaning against the wall in the toilets, trying to get rid of the fluttering dizzy feeling that had overcome him, just from one look from Sirius, and moments later James was leaning next to him.

"You like him?" James asked, and Remus glanced at him, expecting to see something close to disappointment or anger, but that wasn't there. James looked happy and calm.

"You're alright with that?" Remus checked, and James nodded.

"Did he upset you?" James asked, and Remus shook his head.

"I don't even know what happened, just chatting and he just makes a comment that makes me wonder, and looks at me a certain way, and I felt dizzy and needed to breathe."

James let out a chuckle. "I'd say just go with it, flirting is harmless, right?"

Remus took a couple of deep breathes and nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

He grinned at James. "How's it going with Lily?"

"Brilliant. She keeps talking about books, but she lights up when she does, it's great. Before we found out about Moony, she never gave me the time of day, so I should thank you for unintentionally bringing me and her together."

"Thanks for sticking around when you found out about me," Remus replied, leading the way out of the toilets, back to Sirius who grinned.

"You alright, Moony?" he asked.

Remus glanced over at James, before answering. "Yeah, I don't know what came over me," he said, before picking up his spoon.

Sirius watched him for a moment, wondering what James had said to Remus, before turning back to his own ice cream. He would speak to James that evening.

They stayed sitting, chatting for a little while after eating, before forcing themselves to get out of their comfortable chairs and head outside to look around the rest of the shops.

"What next?" Sirius said, mostly to himself, looking around.

Remus shrugged. "I don't mind, it's up to you. You know the area better than me," he replied.

Remus was enjoying being alone with Sirius. He knew that nothing would happen between them, Sirius wouldn't want someone like him after all, but today, with just the two of them, he would let himself pretend. He could pretend they were on a date, and he could enjoy being the sole focus of Sirius' attention.

"Honeydukes," Sirius decided, a grin crossing his face, as he grabbed Remus' hand and started pulling him towards the place.

Remus dragged his feet a little bit, hoping to hold onto Sirius' hand a bit longer, knowing when he arrived, he'd have to let go.

"You're going to love it," Sirius said, as they got to the door, and Sirius pulled the door open, allowing Remus to go in first.

Remus' eyes widened as he walked in, his gaze flicked from one shelf to another, and he didn't know where to start looking first.

Sirius had the sense to pick up a basket, and slowly, they filled it with various sweets, and a massive stack of chocolate. He grinned as he caught Remus sniffing some packets, as he worked his way around the shop, deciding what to buy. It wasn't long until the basket was completely full.

They headed to the counter, and split the cost, and Sirius shrunk the bag, handing it to Remus to put into his pocket.

Next he led the way to Zonkos, picking up dungbombs and restocking his and James' pranking collection, and last on his list was finding Halloween costumes.

"Any ideas?" he asked Remus, who shrugged.

"What do you usually go as?"

Sirius frowned. "I was thinking of dressing as a Pirate," he said, looking at Remus, who let out a laugh.

"What? Don't you think I'd look quite... dashing as a pirate?" Sirius said, a pout on his lips.

"Very dashing, it's perfect for you," Remus agreed.

"What about you, Moony?" he asked, and Remus shrugged.

"Well, we'll look around and find you something."

Half an hour later, Remus left the costume shop with an outfit, which no matter how much begging Sirius done, he refused to reveal. Sirius made a quick mirror call to James, letting him know that they had gotten their costumes.

Once all the shops had been covered, and a lot of money spent, Sirius led Remus around the rest of the town, walking slowly instead of pulling the other boy along. He didn't want to head back to the castle, otherwise the not-a-date would be over, and he didn't want that.

"One more stop," Sirius decided, as they walked up to the Shrieking Shack.

"So this is what it looks like on the outside," Remus said, taking the sight before him in. He watched it for a few minutes, just surprised. It was different than he had imagined. He had only ever been inside it, but it was so strange being this side of the walls.

Sirius sat down on a nearby wall, Remus following and he pulled out two chocolate frogs, offering one to Sirius. They ate in silence, taking in the building in front of them.

"So, Remus... it's the Halloween party next week," Sirius said.

Remus nodded. "Yeah."

"You planning on asking anyone?" Sirius asked nervously.

Remus shook his head. "No, not really. I mean, I don't want Michelle to ask me, but I'm not going to go asking someone just to get her off my back."

Sirius nodded, and Remus looked at him shyly.

"Are you going to ask anyone?" He asked, softly.

"Nope, I'd rather go there with you," he said, not meeting Remus' eyes.

Remus wasn't sure how to take the comment. It almost sounded as though Sirius was interested. He pushed the thought aside quickly, smiling at the boy who he had fallen for.

"Okay, well, I'd rather go there with you too," he said, feeling very uncertain, but seeing Sirius' face light up, he pretended to himself that Sirius felt it in the same way he did.

"That's great," Sirius said, his voice sounding really soft, and Remus felt Sirius lean against him.

They sat in silence, enjoying the moment, both wondering how the other boy meant the words.


	15. Chapter 15

The next night was the full moon, and there was tension in the dorm room as the time slowly passed. James had challenged Lily to a game of Wizards chess, which neither of them could really concentrate on, and Sirius was watching Remus pace, due to the restlessness of the wolf inside him.

Sirius couldn't think of a thing to say this month. Every other month he had been concerned that Remus would get hurt by his family. Sirius could relate and try talk him out of going to visit when he thought Remus was returning home, but to know that Remus was going to transform, to hurt himself and there was nothing Sirius could do to stop it, made him feel both helpless and angry. Angry at everything that had happened to Remus.

He needed to let the anger out, but not in front of Remus. The other boy already had a hard enough night ahead of him, and Sirius needed to appear to be strong and supportive for him.

Sirius was lost in his thoughts, as he watched Remus. Remus was amazing, he was smart, sweet, funny, kind and so much more, but his father's temper had caused his bite, and his parents didn't care. Remus deserved so much more than the life he had, and Sirius was going to make sure that he had him at the very least. He'd always be there for Remus, and he knew James and Lily would be too.

He was also angry at himself for not being an Animagus yet. He rarely gave up on something, and had he persisted in learning, he would have been able to go with Remus right now. It was his own fault for giving up so easily in the past, but this time he would learn.

He had to accept that it would take time, and since the night the idea had come to him, back when Remus was recovering from the last full moon, Sirius and James had spent every spare moment, when Remus wasn't around, reviewing the stuff they already knew, and going over it.

They had managed to get back to the point they were at, easily remembering the lessons, but the next step had been meditation and that would require a few hours for their first attempt, as they would have to mediate to get their body ready to take on the new form.

After the first mediation, they could mediate as they liked, trying to get their body to shift, but they had decided to attempt it when Remus was doing his transformation. James thought it was for the best, so that Sirius would be more determined than ever to get this part right, knowing what Remus was going through.

Any future meditation could be done in smaller bouts, but the first time, they needed a whole evening for. Lily was on hand in case anything went wrong. She would be learning herself, but as she had to start from the beginning, it would take her quite a while before she was ready.

Sirius was torn from his thoughts when Remus stopped pacing, and picked up his cloak.

"It's time?" Sirius asked, also standing up, and Remus nodded.

Lily came over and hugged him, and James tried to smile. "Try be safe," he said. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Remus smiled in return, finding the moment easier than the other three. "Don't worry, I've done this one hundred and sixty-eight times already, I'm sure I'll manage," he said, calmly.

"That many times?" James asked, shocked.

Remus nodded. "Just shows there's no need to worry. I'm an expert at this."

He turned to leave the room, Sirius following him out, insistent on at least walking him to the hospital wing. James packed up the chess set, and went to retrieve the books, knowing that it would be the only thing to keep Sirius calm when he returned.

**...oOo...**

Remus woke up, his body burning, and he could barely move. He lay still, trying to determine if anything was broken.

He slowly started with his hands, moving his fingers, flexing his wrists, working his way up his arms. He quickly realised that apart from a few minor scratches, his arms were fine. He moved onto his legs, and found that there were a couple of painful bites, but nothing broken. He ignored the ache in his ribs, as his hands slowly checked his body. His back felt like something sharp was wedged in it, but he continued on, slowly allowing his hands to examine a painful wound on his side.

He heard footsteps downstairs, and rolled to his side, which caused him to let out a gasp of pain. He had clearly ripped his side open, and the pressure on it had caused to pain to flare up worse. He hadn't realised how bad it was until he had moved. He reached under the bed, and grabbed a blanket and threw it over his more intimate parts, as he heard the stairs creak.

"You're early today," Remus croaked, looking at the door, waiting for Madame Pomfrey to appear. There wasn't anyone there. He closed his eyes, wondering if he was imagining things, and they quickly opened as he heard his name.

"Remus?"

"Lily?" Remus said, uncertainly.

He gasped in surprise as the cloak disappeared and three figures were standing in front of him. He quickly adjusted the blanket, making sure it was covering all of him, but not before the gash on his side was seen.

Lily let out a startled noise at the sight, and Remus tried to grin. "I've been worse, believe me. This was probably one of the easiest ones so far."

"You call that easy?" Lily asked, worriedly, and Remus gave a slight nod.

"Turn around, Lily," James ordered, as he moved forward, with Sirius following. Lily looked away, as they helped Remus off the floor, both using their other hand to hold the sheet in place. They gently helped him the few steps to the bed, and he sank down on it again, choosing to stay sitting to make it easier to get up again.

"You can look," Remus said, and Lily turned back around. "Madam Pomfrey will be here soon, does she know you're here?"

Sirius shook his head. "The minute I knew you would have turned back, I woke up James, and we went to get Lily. Turns out Lily is more dangerous than you when she's been woken up at an early hour."

"Letting James climb into my bed for a cuddle is not the way I want to be woken up," Lily snapped, her face red.

"You loved it really," Remus laughed, and winced and clutched his chest in pain.

Sirius was over him, his wand out. "Do you want me to heal you?" he asked.

As Sirius went to heal him, Remus grabbed his hand.

"No time, Pomfrey is here," he hissed, and he watched them all run to the corner, throwing the cloak over themselves, as Madam Pomfrey came in the room.

She looked around, a frown on her face, until she noticed Remus on the bed.

"Well, Remus, you've never made it up there before," she said in surprise.

"I'm not in as much pain," Remus whispered, realising talking was starting to get difficult.

"Where does it hurt?"

"Legs, chest, side... and it feels as though something is sticking in my back," he whispered.

She nodded. "Right, do you want me to heal the worst here, and we'll walk back, or would you rather go back first?"

"I can walk," he replied, not wanting his friends to watch.

She smiled, and placed a bunch of clothes on the bed, along with his wand. "I'll wait in the tunnel for you," she said, leaving the room.

Once he heard the trapdoor close, he looked to the corner. "I'm not changing with you all watching me," he said.

"We're not perverts," James replied, with a sidelong glance at Sirius.

"Yeah, me and James had the decency to turn around," came Lily's amused voice.

"I was going to turn around when you started, I was making sure you got up from the bed okay," Sirius insisted, as the cloak was removed from them. Sirius was looking a bit red in the face.

"Yeah, of course you were," came James' disbelieving tones, and Sirius frowned.

"I believe you," Remus said mildly, and Sirius smiled in return.

Remus slowly stood up. The boys moved forward, but he shook his head. "I can manage," he said, smiling softly at them.

When he picked up his clothes, the three quickly spun around, and a couple of minutes later, Remus was dressed.

"Wait five minutes before following, I'll see you later?"

"We'll be up to visit you. I was given permission last month to stay there with you, and I'm sure it counts for every month. Lily and James are good to take notes."

"You don't have to –"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Well, I want to. I'll be there as soon as I've gotten changed," he said, lifting up his robe, revealing his pyjamas underneath.

Remus let out a laugh, causing his chest to ache, and he winced.

"I'll get you breakfast from the hall on the way. Anything you particularly fancy?"

Remus grinned at him. "I'll leave it up to you," he replied, slowly walking from the room.

The trio could hear his breath hitch with each stair he went down, and they waited until the trapdoor shut.

"Were you really going to turn around when he started changing?" James asked.

"In my head, that's what I was telling myself," Sirius muttered. "But whether I had the strength to do so is another matter entirely."

"I would have made you look away," Lily stated.

"Good, I was a bit scared I was turning into a pervert," Sirius replied, sighing in relief.

"Mate, you've been perving on Remus for a long time," James pointed out.

"Oh. Right."

**...oOo...**

An hour later, Sirius appeared at Remus' bedside with breakfast, and his own chessboard. He stuck the chessboard on one of the chairs, and told Remus to move up.

Remus carefully slid across the bed, and Sirius slipped off his shoes, sitting up next to him.

"I thought I'd have breakfast with you," he said, opening the various containers, and sharing the food out.

"Thanks, it's nice to have company for once," Remus admitted, gently shifting himself into a sitting position.

"Well, you'll always have company," Sirius replied, wondering if Remus would be annoyed if he shifted closer. He took that chance, so their sides were touching. Remus smiled to himself.

As they finished up, Madam Pomfrey came over, with some potions for Remus. She glanced at Sirius, and then at the food.

"Thank you, Mr Black, I was just about to summon the house-elves to bring breakfast," she said, vanishing the plates and containers from the bed.

"Now, Remus, that was most probably the best transformation you've had," she informed him.

He nodded. "The best that I can remember," he confirmed.

"You see the difference having friends makes," she said. "Mr Black, Mr Potter, and Miss Evans have all had a very good effect on you," she continued.

Remus smiled shyly at Sirius, and nodded in agreement.

Madam Pomfrey handed him a couple of potions, which he downed, and she turned to Sirius.

"You can stay, but at lunch you collect your morning's work and you come back with it, and I expect to find you working on it. That also applies if you are returning after dinner."

Sirius nodded. "Lily said she'll bring it in," Sirius told her. "As for classes I don't have with her, James said he'll bring work from those."

Madame Pomfrey nodded her head. "Call me if you need anything," she said, walking away.

When she was out of sight, Sirius let out a yawn.

"You can head back if you want, go sleep, I don't mind," Remus said.

"No, I want to stay here. I couldn't sleep all night, I was worried about you," Sirius replied.

"I know how you feel, even though I'm the wolf, I'm still as tired as though I haven't slept all night, and I guess that's true, since the wolf didn't sleep."

"Well, I suggest we start with a nap," Sirius suggested.

Remus nodded. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drift off, Sirius following quickly.

They woke up a little while later to someone coughing loudly.

Remus looked up, to see James and Lily grinning. He was confused for a moment until he realised there was a leg thrown over his own, an arm around his waist, and a face against his neck. He could feel Sirius breathing on him. It was a very pleasant feeling.

"Well, we were just dropping these off, we'll leave you to it," James said, with a wink. The pair of them walked out of the hospital wing, giggling to themselves.

"Go back to sleep, Lupin, I've no intention of moving," Sirius muttered, burrowing into Remus and tightening his grip.

Remus smiled, and closed his eyes again, wondering how he was going to sleep with Sirius holding him. He needn't have worried, as he fell asleep almost immediately.

It was another hour until Madam Pomfrey woke them up.

"Mr Lupin, I have your potions, and Mr Black, you have assignments to work on," she said loudly, causing the boys to stir. This time Remus found his fingers entwined with Sirius'. He quickly let go and Sirius moved his leg and arm, and sat up with a yawn.

Remus felt cold without the feel of Sirius against him. He must have frowned, because Sirius quickly asked him what was wrong.

Sirius felt worried, he wasn't quite sure how he ended up wrapping himself around Remus, and he had no intentions of moving when James turned up. He would have stayed like that all day, but Remus had pulled his hand away. Sirius wondered if he was reading it all wrong.

He asked the question, and waited nervously for the answer.

"Nothing is wrong, I just didn't want to move," Remus admitted. He noticed the look of relief on Sirius' face before Sirius smirked.

"Neither did I. I think you make an excellent pillow," Sirius winked.

"Potions, Remus," Madam Pomfrey said, and the boys looked up, having forgotten she was there.

Sirius passed the potions to him, and Madame Pomfrey walked off, smiling to herself. She was hoping they would admit to their feelings soon, because she could see the next transformation being easier still.

**...oOo...**

Just before dinner, Madame Pomfrey had Sirius use healing salve on Remus' side and a few minor scratches on his arms. She checked the state of his ribs, which she had healed that morning, and finally, she stepped back, with a smile.

"I think you're good to go," she decided. "I'll give you your potions, but I've never had such an easy job of healing you. I didn't even have to give you a sleeping potion earlier," she said, her eyes flicking to Sirius.

Remus slowly got off the bed, a slight ache in his body still, and Sirius got up too, climbing off the other side. He gathered up their work, and the unused chessboard, and Madame Pomfrey retrieved Remus' potions, which Remus stuck into his pocket.

"There's no sleeping ones in here," he pointed out.

"I didn't think you'd be needing them anymore," the matron replied with a wink, turning to Sirius, and handing him some healing salve and bandages, before walking away.

"Did she just wink at you?" Sirius laughed.

**...oOo...**

An hour later, James and Lily came into the dorm with dinner. They put the food down on the bed, and quickly distributed it, and opened up a container with a chocolate fudge cake, and a tub of vanilla ice-cream.

They cut the cake into four, and served it out, adding a generous scoop of ice-cream to it, and Sirius tried to keep his eyes off Remus, as the boy enjoyed the desert a little too much, in Sirius' opinion.

They did their assignments, and Sirius pulled out a chocolate bar from his trunk, before searching through Remus' books. He pulled out Lord of the Rings, and sat down on Remus' bed, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes.

Remus let out a fake sigh, taking the chocolate and opening it next to him, as he took the book. Sirius sat next to him.

"Can I convince you to stroke my hair as you read?"

Remus laughed. "Sorry, I can't reach."

Sirius shifted down, resting his head in Remus' lap, and looking up at him, with a cheeky grin.

"Better?" he asked, and Remus nodded.

"But that means I can't eat my chocolate as I read," he grumbled, trying to fight a smile. He secretly didn't mind.

He flicked to the first page.

"When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton."

"Wait, you're not stroking my hair," Sirius grumbled.

He felt soft fingers carefully run over his scalp, and let out a contented sigh.

"That's better, now you were telling me something about Bilbo Baggins," Sirius muttered, and Remus brought his eyes back to the book, after a quick glance at Lily and James, who were surprisingly sitting on the same bed as each other, waiting for Remus to continue with the story.

**...oOo...**

Sirius woke up around midnight, and glanced to check on Remus. He saw two empty beds in the dorm.

They were used to Peter being in the Slytherins' rooms, so that didn't come as a surprise, but Remus was gone too.

He grabbed his wand and pushed his hair out of his face, as he looked around the room. Not spotting Remus, He nudged James, and pointed to the empty bed, and James pointed to the bathroom.

Sirius went over and tried the door, finding the room was empty, and James climbed out of bed, grabbing his wand and pulling some trousers over his boxers, Sirius doing the same.

They reached the Common Room, to find Remus reading a book. He looked up at the boys.

"Sorry, did I wake you? I tried to be as quiet as possible when I left."

They both sat down on the sofa.

"Why are you up?" James croaked.

"Oh, Madam Pomfrey didn't give me any sleeping potions. I tend to use them for a couple of nights after a transformation, but I think she thinks I won't need them anymore, maybe because my transformations are easier."

Sirius was silent for a few minutes. "I think she was saying that you won't need them because I helped you fall asleep earlier. Why don't you come and lay down with me, you might find it easier to fall asleep?"

Remus stared at him for a moment, and bit his lip.

"I... I can try," he whispered. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Trust me, I don't mind in the slightest," Sirius replied, before leaning in closer to Remus. "You can climb in my bed any night you want."

Remus suddenly couldn't breathe. Ten words from Sirius had rendered him speechless, plus, with the tone of voice used, he knew without a doubt that Sirius was flirting slightly with him. Now he just had to determine if it was just harmless flirting, or if there was a tiny, miniscule chance that Sirius Black, the best looking, most amazing man in all of Hogwarts, had lowered his standards so much that he was actually interested in a werewolf, when he could have anyone in the school.

James let out a cough. "I'm going back to bed now," he said, and left the room quickly.

Sirius stood up, and reached out, pulling Remus off the sofa.

He didn't let go of Remus' hand, as he led the quiet boy up the stairs. Instead he took the book from Remus' hand and put it on his bedside table, before giving him a gentle nudge to get on the bed.

Remus could swear that his heart was beating so loudly, that the other boys could both hear it. He climbed in, and carefully shuffled over to the other side. Sirius climbed in after him, and they lay side by side, their arms touching, as they had earlier that day.

"G... Goodnight, Sirius," he stuttered.

"Goodnight, Remus, wake me up if you're struggling to sleep," Sirius replied softly.

Sirius forced himself to stay awake for a little while, to make sure that Remus was actually able to sleep, and it wasn't long before he heard Remus' breathing deepen. He listened for a few minutes, before deciding that Remus was asleep.

He hoped he wasn't taking advantage of the situation, as he rolled onto his side, and tucked his face into Remus' neck, his arm falling across Remus' stomach, and he shifted closer. The position had been so comfortable earlier, when he had woken up like that. If Remus asked in the morning, he could pretend he moved into that position in his sleep, and didn't intentionally cuddle his friend. After some thought, he carefully put his leg over Remus'.

He didn't realise that although Remus' breathing had gotten deeper, he hadn't quite fallen asleep and he was very aware of Sirius' actions. Sirius also didn't realise that a wide smile had covered Remus' face, as he relaxed and slowly fell asleep too.


	16. Chapter 16

Sirius woke up the next morning, wrapped around Remus. He could feel the warmth from the other boy against him, through his clothes, and he had no intentions of moving. It felt perfect, him laying here. It felt right.

He laid as still as possible, scared that the slightest movement would unsettle Remus, and just allowed himself to stay relaxed against the other boy, savouring where he was, knowing that it may not happen again. It wasn't until Remus shifted slightly, that Sirius did try to get up.

He felt a hand reach for his, holding him in place, and he stopped moving. His eyes moved to Remus' amber ones.

"You... can stay like that, I mean if you want, if you're comfortable, not that I think I'm comfortable to lay on or anything, but I don't mind," came a nervous whisper.

"If you're sure, Remus," Sirius replied, tucking his head back into Remus' neck, and snuggling a bit closer. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, actually," Remus admitted, focusing on the fact that he was still holding Sirius' hand, and neither of them were letting go. He gave a slight shiver at the feel of Sirius' breath on his neck.

"So did I," Sirius said. "It's really comfortable like this."

"Sirius... would it sound weird if I said..."

"Said what, Moony?"

There was a long pause, as Remus drew together all his courage, as he listened to the words in his head a couple of times, hoping that Sirius wouldn't catch onto his true feelings.

"If I said that I really like how we're laying right now," he finished.

Sirius didn't speak for a moment, and Remus' heart dropped. He had clearly misread the situation. That was what happened when he allowed himself to hope. He really thought that there was a slight chance that Sirius could possibly feel the same way.

"I shouldn't have said that, I... just forget I spoke," Remus whispered.

"I like laying here like this, too," Sirius whispered. "I mean, I wouldn't mind, if you needed me again, I'd be more than happy to do this. Just tell me when you don't need me to."

"Well, I usually struggle for a few nights before and a few after. Before because I tend to be restless as the wolf is at the surface, and the days after, because of the strain of the transformation."

Sirius smiled to himself. "It's not a problem for me to stay with you, since it helps you. I mean, if you want?"

"Oh... s... sure, I appreciate it," Remus whispered, wondering if he could get away with not telling Sirius when he was fine to sleep alone, and having the other boy permanently in his bed instead.

**...oOo...**

Finally, it was the night before the party, and Remus found himself laying in bed. He didn't need Sirius that night, but he had had a selfish moment, allowing himself one more night with Sirius Black in his bed before he informed the other boy that he was fine to sleep all alone again for a few weeks.

The problem was that Sirius fell asleep as Remus read to him, Lily had gone back to her own dorm, and James was asleep. For the first time all week, Sirius wasn't cuddled into Remus and Remus didn't like it at all.

Remus thought about it for a while, making sure that Sirius really was asleep. He listened to Sirius' breathing, and heartbeat before making his decision.

He shifted closer to Sirius, his own heart pounding hard in his chest, as he ran over the simple plan in his mind. After all, Sirius done it all the time, so why shouldn't he?

Remus laid down next to Sirius, and slowly cuddled into him, his head resting on Sirius' chest. His hand slowly moved over him, and his leg gently hooked over Sirius' own leg. He suddenly understood why Sirius done it, it was so comfortable. He curled in even closer, and found arms wrap around him in return, pulling him closer.

"Remus," Sirius mumbled, his eyes closed, and Remus almost panicked, until he realised that Sirius was still asleep. He smiled.

"Yes, it's me, Sirius," he replied, softly, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath that was pure Sirius.

The next morning, when Sirius woke up, he was surprised to find Remus curled up against him. He wasn't complaining, it was quite amazing actually. He had done it every night, and the one night he hadn't, Remus had cuddled up to him instead. He pulled the other boy as close as possible, enjoying the sensation of having him in his arms.

As much as he loved being the one to snuggle into Remus, no matter his thoughts before on how right and perfect that felt, having Remus against him, holding him, that felt even more perfect. He never wanted them to move from the bed, just laying wrapped up in each other forever, sounded like a good plan. His hand moved up, and slowly ran through Remus' hair. He knew he shouldn't, Remus was just a friend, possibly didn't return his feelings, but he couldn't stop himself from touching that tempting, soft-looking hair.

Sirius didn't know how he was going to sleep without Remus in the bed with him when the Werewolf didn't need him again. He'd have to wait a couple of weeks until Remus invited him back in. A couple of weeks without this, would be a cruel torture.

**...oOo...**

"I cuddled up to him," Remus whispered, as he waited with Lily in the Great Hall for Sirius and James to turn up.

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Details, please," she whispered back, with a smile.

"Well, you know we've been sharing a bed, as it helps me sleep, since Madam Pomfrey isn't giving me the potions anymore..."

Lily nodded.

"What you don't know, is that every night when Sirius thinks I'm asleep, he cuddles me. He's awake and aware that he's doing it, and he tends to be in a similar position to the one you found us in, in the Hospital Wing. Last night he didn't, as he fell asleep as I read the book, and I... cuddled up to him instead. He was definitely asleep, and he put his arms around me and said my name, and just pulled me really close."

Remus couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

"This morning I woke up when he was trying to pull me closer again, and I was wrapped up in his arms, they were tight around me, and the thing is, Lily, he was definitely awake. I could hear his heart racing. Oh, and he was also stroking my hair."

"It sounds like Remus Lupin has an admirer that is clearly too shy to say anything," Lily said quietly, so as to not be overheard.

"Do you think? I mean, I should have made it clear that I was awake, but I just didn't want him to stop. Do you really think that there's a chance that he could return my feelings?"

"If James came to you, and said that I was cuddling into him every night, and when he cuddled me, I held him close and stroked his hair, what would you say?"

Remus grinned. "I'd say that James was going to get lucky."

"Oh, shut up, you," Lily said, good-naturedly.

"Okay, so I'd say that you were a really good friend, or you really fancied him."

Lily shook her head. "Sirius and James are really good friends, and in all the times you've shared a dorm with them, have you ever found Sirius cuddling James and stroking his hair?"

Remus shook his head.

"So that blows that theory out of the water, which leaves one thing..." Lily said, trailing off and hoping Remus realised the truth.

"Sirius Black fancies me," Remus breathed.

Lily gave him a moment for it to sink in.

"Maybe you should tell him how you feel too?"

"Tell him?" Remus repeated, shock written over his face. "Are you insane? What if I'm wrong? He'll laugh at me, no – he'll be disgusted, and he'll hate me and I'll lose him. I can't tell him."

Lily sighed. "Remus, for the first time in your life, just reach out and take what you want. I promise Sirius won't hate you or feel disgusted. I promise he'll still be part of your life afterwards."

Remus took a deep breath. "Okay, maybe I'll say something, I'll think about it," he whispered, nervously. "But only if you date James."

"Deal, but you and Sirius first," she whispered in return as the two boys in question approached the table.

Remus stared at his plate, trying to work out what he would say. He just had to wait for the opportunity and hope that he didn't make a fool of himself. Sirius watched him curiously. Sirius wondered what was on Remus' mind to have him looking so shy and pensive. Hopefully Remus would open up to him and talk about it, if not, he would take Remus' mind off whatever it was at the Ball that evesning.

**...oOo...**

The day passed quickly, and finally, it was time to start getting ready for the Ball. Remus grabbed a large bag, and brought it into the bathroom with him, and half an hour later, Sirius knocked on the door.

"I've changed my mind," came the reply, when Sirius asked if Remus was ready to go.

Sirius was silent for a moment; the event that would be the closest he could get to going on a date with Remus, wouldn't be enjoyable without him.

"Oh, okay, well we can stay here," Sirius replied.

"No, you shouldn't stay here just because I am, you should go to the ball and have fun," Remus called through the door.

Sirius looked at James in concern, before turning back to the door.

"What's wrong, Remus?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just... I'm not in the mood to go anymore," Remus said, hoping Sirius would drop it.

Sirius stepped away from the door. Why had Remus suddenly changed his mind? He had seemed so quiet all day, he was fine the day before, but ever since he got up that morning, he had been a bit quiet, and he had gone to lunch without Sirius and James, and been even more quiet than before.

Sirius felt cold. Had he not been holding Remus tightly that morning and stroking his hair? What if Remus realised what was happening, and realised his feelings and wanted to miss the Ball because he knew that Sirius was in love with him, and saw it as a date? What if Remus didn't want to be his friend anymore?

He sat down on the bed, dropping his sword next to him.

"What's up, mate?" James asked.

"It's my fault, I was stroking his hair this morning, and he doesn't want to be around me," Sirius said softly, folding his arms, and feeling really low. "Merlin, I've fucked this up, haven't I? He's been off with me all day, James, how do I fix this?"

James shrugged his shoulders. He knew Remus had feelings for Sirius, and knew that Sirius must have it wrong. He walked over and knocked on the door.

"Remus?"

The door opened slightly, and James slipped through, noticing Sirius' devastated face, that James was welcomed in, and he hadn't been.

He glanced at Remus, who wasn't dressed in his costume. It was scattered around the bathroom.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't go because I look stupid in the costume," he muttered. "It has nothing to do with Sirius. Don't tell him that I could hear you talking."

"You heard him?"

"It wasn't intentional, I was sitting with my back against the door, and couldn't help it. It's just that I don't look good in this, and I don't want him to see me looking stupid, so he should go and have a good time, I'll be alright here."

James shook his head. "You prat," he said with a smile. "I'll send him onto the party, and then we're going to set our wands at work, and fix the costume, okay?" and without waiting for an answer, he slipped out of the bathroom again.

"Remus is having issues with his costume, which is why he doesn't want to go. I'm going to stay and help him fix it. Can you go wait for Lily in the Common Room, and you might as well head down to the party, because we don't know how long this will take."

Sirius breathed deeply. "So he's not upset with me?"

"He seems quite disappointed about having to miss the party, actually. Now the quicker you go, the quicker I can help Remus, and we can come and join you."

Sirius nodded, and grabbed his sword, before leaving the room. Remus wasn't mad at him, Remus wanted to go to the party, and James was going to fix it.

A minute after the door closed, Remus came out of the bathroom.

"Okay, put the costume on and tell me what you don't like about it?" James suggested.

Remus pulled the chaps over his jeans, and the waistcoat over the shirt he planned on wearing.

"It looks tacky," he complained. "How could I let Sirius see me like this?"

James surveyed the outfit for a few minutes.

"It's because it doesn't fit right. We can save this," he said. "Take off the waistcoat and chaps, and we'll work on the jeans and shirt first.

Remus did as he was asked.

James walked over, pointing his wand at the shirt, and letting it slowly shrink until it was fitted against Remus. He then did the same with the jeans until they were tight.

"Wait, but they're too tight," Remus complained.

"They aren't," James countered. "The outfit didn't work because it looked too big on you. You need to fit into it better." James grabbed the waistcoat, and held it out to Remus.

Remus slid his arms through, and James let the waistcoat shrink to fit him, before they did the same with the chaps.

"Do they have to be this tight?" he whispered.

James nodded. "You want to look like a hot cowboy, right? Okay, so now for your boots."

"I don't have any," Remus said. "I didn't think, and –"

"Well, it's a good thing that I'm awesome at transfiguration," James stated, hunting under Sirius' bed and pulling out a pair of old boots. He slowly transfigured them into men's cowboy boots, a deep brown colour.

"I think we should change the shade of brown on the chaps and waistcoat, they're a bit bright," James suggested, raising his wand again.

Almost an hour after they started, Remus looked at himself in the mirror, and was shocked at the difference James had made. Gone was the lost boy who was wearing clothes that looked wrong and a hat that didn't sit right. Instead, looking back at him, was a more confident looking man, in fitted clothes that made him look good, longer hair that had been pulled back, a hat that made him look a bit mysterious, and Sirius' transfigured boots.

"Okay, what else do you need?" James said, before pulling out a galleon, and transfiguring it to a sheriff star badge. He attached it to Remus, and found a length of rope that attached to the top of the chaps. Lastly, he transfigured two plastic guns, and put them into holsters around Remus' waist. Remus didn't question why James had the rope in the first place. Some things were better left unknown.

"I am brilliant," James announced proudly, as he looked Remus over. Sirius had better appreciate this. He knew Remus would get some attention in his outfit, and if Sirius got a bit jealous and dragged Remus off to an empty classroom for a snog, then it was mission achieved.

Remus hugged him. "Thanks," he said, happily. "Are you going to get ready?"

James grinned. "I am ready, this is part of my costume, you'll see. So why a Cowboy?"

Remus bit his lip as they left the dorms.

"Because when I was little I always wanted to be a Cowboy, but the year I was supposed to be one, I was bitten... my parents stopped taking me out on Halloween after that, so I never got the chance to be."

James felt angry at the Lupins. What kind of people would treat a child like that? Not allowing a little boy to dress up for Halloween, even though Remus wasn't hurting anyone by doing it. "So this is to make up for missing out?" James asked.

Remus gave a slight nod. "I didn't know what else to dress up as," he admitted. "I never really thought about dressing up for Halloween until last week when Sirius was getting a pirate outfit. It was quite exciting picking my own."

"It's a shame we didn't have more time to get you a horse," James grumbled.

"It's fine," he laughed. "I don't know how to ride a horse."

"Some Cowboy you're turning out to be," James teased.

...oOo...

"Should have gotten you a horse," James muttered, as they walked through to crowd, looking for a pirate, and whatever Lily was dressed as.

"Hands off me crewmates' buxom beauty, or I'll cut them off," came a shout over the music.

James grinned. "I think we've found them," he stated, as the crowd moved aside, revealing Sirius Black pulling out his sword to challenge a sixth year, who was dressed as a knight.

"Do we stop them?" Remus asked, eyeing the swords warily, and James shook his head. Instead, he pulled a camera out.

"Not before we get pictures," he stated. "Sirius will want to remember. Fuck, look at Lily, she's dressed like a Princess."

Remus took the camera away from James, and snapped a picture as the two swords met each other. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched Sirius' expression, as he almost danced across the floor, dodging the other sword, and getting a few hits in with his.

The fight lasted all of four minutes, and was punctured with cries of "you scurvy Landlubber," and "shiver me timbers," from Sirius, who even had the courage to jump on a table and try to continue, until Professor McGonagall interfered.

Remus passed the camera back to James as he watched Sirius grin at the 6th year, and he could hear him telling the other boy that they should get their swords out more often. Remus was pretty sure that the boy took the offer the wrong way by the way he was looking at Sirius, who winked at him, and turned back to Lily, and bowed to her.

"M'lady."

"Does Sirius always get so in character?" Remus asked.

James nodded. "It's been quite concerning with his past costumes. Last year he was Sherlock Holmes, complete with hat and pipe. He was randomly dragging other students around to solve fake crimes, and through the music, all we'd hear was 'Elementary, my dear Watson.' It was amazing how many students willingly let themselves be dragged around. I think a Professor had to intervene when someone misplaced their shawl, and Sirius overheard the conversation and decided to investigate the case of the stolen shawl. It wasn't stolen. He got a week detention."

Remus paused to listen.

"Well, I never knew Sirius knew pirate chat-up lines," Remus laughed.

"He's chatting up my flower?" James whispered angrily. "Hold my glasses."

Remus took the glasses, as James pulled his shirt open, dramatically, revealing a bright blue costume.

"James, you did not dress as Superman," Remus said, before bursting out with laughter, as James vanished his clothes, leaving him standing there in a superman outfit with a red cape. Remus stopped when he spotted Michelle making her way towards him. "James, I think I'm the one that needs saving," he hissed.

James grinned. "I'll hold her off for a minute, so you gotta run. Why don't you get some drinks and meet us at the table? We won't let her sit with us," he suggested and Remus nodded. Remus quickly rushed off, as James got in Michelle's way, stopping her getting past. She glared at him and turned around, trying to find another way through all of the people, and James turned his attention back to Sirius and Lily.

"I'd love to drop an anchor in your lagoon," Sirius stated, and Lily just had her head in her hands, shaking it in despair.

"It's not my lagoon you want to drop your anchor in," she replied, before she felt arms wrap around her, and herself being thrown over someone's shoulder.

"I'll save you from the wretched pirate," James announced, before walking off with her.

Sirius watched them walk away.

"Put me down, Potter, or else!" Lily shouted, slapping him on the back.

"I'm not the very handsome and amazing James Potter," James informed her. "I'm Superman."

Sirius looked around, but couldn't see Remus. Maybe Remus decided he didn't want to come after all, and maybe James was just trying to be nice by saying that it was the costume. His smile disappeared as he followed James to a table and sat down.

"What's wrong?" James asked.

"You didn't bring Remus," he muttered, folding his arms.

"Yeah, I did," he replied. "He's gone to get drinks."

"I'll go and help him," Sirius offered, his frown disappearing quickly, and a happy look crossing his face as he jumped up from his seat, and headed to the drinks table, which was almost empty.

**...oOo...**

"So, Lupin, your outfit looks good," Benjy Fenwick said, grabbing a Butterbeer from the table.

"Oh, umm thanks. Your outfit is nice too," Remus said politely, as reached for the bottles himself. He didn't much care for Benjy's uninventive vampire costume, but there was no need to voice that.

"So, Michelle's bothering you again, isn't she?"

Remus let out a small laugh. "How could you tell?" he asked, moving four bottles towards him on the table.

"Because the second your eyes locked, you went from laughing to looking miserable. So, how comes you didn't come here with a date?"

"Oh, well, um, there was no-one I wanted to take," Remus said, feeling nervous.

"Well, Black always has dates to these things. Good friend if he's turned his down so you don't come here alone."

"We came as a group," Remus corrected him.

Benjy nodded, and Remus reached for the drinks again.

"So do your friends know?"

"Know what?" Remus asked, his hand withdrawing, and he looked back up at Benjy.

Benjy stared at him.

"Come on, what guy in his right mind would turn down Michelle, and not even look at any of the girls in school, unless..."

"Unless?" Remus whispered, worried.

"Unless he has different preferences?" Benjy said, looking into Remus' eyes for a sign.

Remus took a step back. "I... I don't know... what you mean," he stuttered.

"I'm sure you do, Remus. You're not the only guy here who keeps that a secret though." He glanced around, trying to work out if anyone was listening. "Look, I'm not saying go brag it to the whole school, I'm just saying that you might want to explore that, because I can tell that you've not before. I mean, we can meet after the party in the empty classroom on the third fl..."

Remus felt a hand grab his arm, yanking him away from Benjy, and Benjy's arm grabbed Sirius', pulling him back.

"What's your problem, Black?"

"You. Don't think I haven't heard about you, Fenwick, you'd do well to stay far away from Remus. He's too good for someone like you," Sirius spat, trying to keep his voice low.

"Jealousy is an ugly colour on you, Black," Benjy said with a smirk, before lowering his voice. "Just so you know, we were making plans to meet in classroom on the third floor, and you know what happens there?"

Sirius was physically restraining himself, trying to stop himself hurting Benjy. He was telling himself to walk away. Remus wasn't interested in this fool, Remus would never go for a creep like this. Remus was too good for him.

"I'll have him on his hands and knees," Benjy taunted in a whisper. "I'll make your innocent little friend into a man."

"Try it and I'll fucking kill you," Sirius roared, lunging at him and knocking Benjy to the floor, the table next to them getting knocked over, as they fought.

Remus stood there in shock, his reflexes, which were usually quite quick, had vanished. Remus watched as Sirius got a few hits in, before Benjy overpowered him, knocking him to the floor, and getting a hit in himself. "This is how I'll have your friend," he muttered, bringing his arm back to hit Sirius again, before Benjy felt Remus roughly pull him off.

"Touch my friend again, and I'll do worse than him," Remus growled, his grip on Benjy's arm tightening enough to leave a bruise.

Benjy faltered for a second, before his eyes flashed.

"Fuck, Lupin, you're strong," Benjy murmured. "I like more compliant guys myself, maybe Black would follow my rules, imagine him moaning my name, or sucking my -"

Remus looked shocked as Benjy ended up on the floor, blood pouring out of his nose, as James helped Sirius up.

"Mr Lupin, Mr Black, Mr Fenwick, Detention," Professor McGonagall stated, rushing over to them.

Benjy was led away by his friends, shooting glares at the pair, and Sirius stared at Remus in awe, as did a lot of other students. Remus kept his gaze off them. He knew the Wolf had surfaced, and didn't want anyone to see his eyes properly.

There was a lot of whispering as they returned to the table.

"You punched someone, Remus," James said, in awe.

"I shouldn't have, I shouldn't get that angry," Remus whispered, not looking at any of them.

"What did he say to you?" Lily asked, and Remus bit his lip.

"Just something stupid about Sirius," Remus said, clenching his teeth in anger. His eyes were closed, as he tried to control his emotions.

"I thought it was pretty awesome," James said, and Sirius nodded in agreement, looking quite speechless, which was a first for him.

Sirius couldn't get his head around it. Remus just punched someone for saying something nasty about him. Remus. Remus never got angry, never raised his voice, never done anything wrong, and he'd just punched someone for Sirius.

As Remus concentrated, he could hear the conversations at tables near him, and picked out a voice.

Michelle.

"I mean, I knew there had to be a reason he turned me down," she said, a clearly fake upset tone to her voice. "I heard that him and Benjy made a habit of going to the third floor together."

Remus sat up straighter.

"What's up mate?" James asked and Remus pressed his fingers to his lips, and kept listening.

"Yes, we all know what Benjy's like, I think Sirius was just trying to warn his friend, and ended up fighting. Why would Remus let his friend get hurt for him? He should clean up his own messes," Michelle said, and Remus judged her distance as two, maybe three tables away.

"Maybe Remus just doesn't fancy you," came an annoyed voice, belonging to Alice McKinnon.

Remus' eyes opened again, and the group could see the wolf behind them.

"Remus, do you wanna go for a walk?" Sirius asked, and Remus nodded.

"Michelle's starting something, so it turns out one of my secrets is out," he said softly. "At least it's not the main secret."

As they went to stand up, Frank and Alice approached the table.

"Look, just so you know, Michelle is trying to cause trouble," Frank told them.

"Well, I'm sure it was clear to everyone that Benjy was hassling Remus, making inappropriate comments, and it kicked off," Lily said, firmly, her gaze meeting Alice's.

Alice nodded, and she grabbed Lily's hand, and started to move around the tables, and Frank took her empty seat.

"She's a troublemaker," Frank said. "She set her sights on me at the beginning of last year, when me and Alice first got together, and she spent almost the whole year trying to break us up. She pretended to be Alice's friend, and told Alice she had seen me with other girls. It almost worked too."

"So that's why Alice is helping?" James asked.

"Look, Benjy causes a lot of trouble, you should stay away from him, Remus. A nice guy like you doesn't want to be mixed up in all that."

"I wouldn't go near him, I'm not -"

"Look, after all this, it won't matter," Frank said. "I'm suspecting only a handful of people know, but I was close enough to hear what he said to you. Now, I'm not going to say anything, because I'm not like that, but the damage is done, so you either admit it, or get yourself a girlfriend, because it's not going to be easy until you do."

Remus looked nervous.

"For the record, me and Alice don't care," he said softly, before standing up. "If people ask, I'll repeat what Lily told Alice to say, but you're not a troublemaker, and I don't want anyone to hassle you," Frank finished.

His gaze moved to Sirius, who was sitting beside him, checking out Remus' costume again, and he smiled.

"If you want it to be a secret, Sirius, stop being so obvious," he whispered, leaning towards Sirius' ear, thinking Remus wouldn't be able to hear him, before he walked off again.

"Let's go for that walk now," Sirius suggested, blushing slightly, and the three of them stood up to leave.

As they got to the doors, Lily came rushing over and looked between them.

"Do you want me to come, or do you want me to spread that Michelle is a whore that got it on with both of the Prewitt Brothers... at the same time?"

"Whore," Sirius and James both said, together. No-one was going to mess with Remus like this.

"You can both stay, I'll go up to the Common Room and see you there?" Remus said softly.

"James, why don't you stay and help me, Sirius, I know you're determined to go with Remus. Will you be coming back?"

Remus looked at Sirius, who shook his head. "We'll take a walk and see you back up there later," Sirius said. "Just make sure people know all about Michelle's sordid history."

"Done," James stated, walking over to where Michelle was standing.

"Oi, Michelle," he said loudly. "It's funny isn't it? You saying all that just because you're pissed off that Remus knows that you had a threesome with the Prewitt Twins a few months ago?"

A whole group of people looked at him, with wide eyes.

"Wait, that's not..." she spluttered, going red.

"If you need a reason why Remus wouldn't date you, I think we all have one," Lily said with a laugh, before leading James to the dance floor.

"That'll work," Sirius whispered, and the people close started whispering. He opened the door and he and Remus left, and a minute later, the door opened and another person snuck through, without anyone noticing.

Sirius led Remus outside, and they slowly walked towards the lake, where they had sat before.

"Thank you," Remus said, as stood looking at the lake.

"What for?" Sirius said.

"I heard what he was saying about me, and you defended me again."

"I'll always defend you," Sirius said softly. "So are you going to tell me what he said to make you hit him?"

"He said I was strong, and that he likes more compliant guys, and insinuated that it would be you instead of me, and he'd get you to su... go down on him, and I lost it. I don't like the thought of him anywhere near you. When you said you'd kill him, well, that's how I felt too," Remus growled, his eyes flashing in anger.

"Thank you," Sirius said, smiling, his hand gently brushing against Remus'.

"Sirius, I've been meaning to talk to you about something, for the past week actually," Remus said.

Sirius nodded.

"I mean, I really like how we've gotten really close, and I didn't realise before, and maybe I'm wrong..."

"What didn't you realise?" Sirius asked nervously.

Remus took a deep breath, but couldn't find the words. Well, if he couldn't speak, maybe he could just show Sirius instead.

"Close your eyes," he requested.

Sirius closed his eyes, a smile on his face. "If you prank me, Lupin -" he began, but stopped as he felt a pair of lips on his, just a slow gentle kiss. When the lips moved away again, he opened his eyes, meeting the soft gaze from his roommate.

"I'm sorry if I misread things, or if I've messed up our friendship, I really hope I got this right," Remus whispered, a hand reaching up to caress Sirius' cheek.

"You did," Sirius replied, his voice low.

"Did what? I did misread things, I did mess up our friendship, or I did get this right?" Remus asked, his eyes flicking back to Sirius' lips.

Sirius shifted closer, Remus could feel his warm breath on his lips. He had to restrain himself from letting their lips touch again. Not until Sirius answered him so he knew if it was okay or not.

"You got this right," he replied, letting his lips meet Remus' again, gently kissing the amber eyed boy, his hands moving to wrap around Remus' waist, pulling his body flush.

Sirius kept it simple, he knew to take it slow, as Remus had never been kissed before. Sirius had a bit of experience, but nothing that felt as amazing, as wonderful, as perfect as the kisses he was receiving from Remus. No-ones lips made his own tingle, no-ones hands made him shiver, desperate for more contact. It was all he could do not to push Remus against the tree and ravage him.

He kept it gentle though. Remus deserved to be kissed like this for his first time. He let his fingers softly run through the long blonde hair, dancing across Remus' face, jaw and neck as their lips moved together.

Remus' long fingers lingered at the back of his neck, stroking, causing shivers to run through Sirius' own body. How could such a simple kiss and simple touch evoke all these feelings?

They kissed for a while, before Remus moved away.

"So, Remus Lupin. Wearing tight clothes, punching guys, and initiating kisses. What's gotten into you?" Sirius asked with a smirk, as his hand running down Remus' face. He leaned in and ran his lips over Remus' soft, inviting looking neck. That would be the most he would do. They had all the time they needed.

"The first one was to impress you," Remus said, closing his eyes as his neck burned under Sirius' attention. "It was watching you stand up to Benjy for me, I realised... I suspected that you were jealous, and to be honest, I kinda liked that you stood up for me like that, and I understood how you felt when he made a comment about you. Just so you know, I had no intention of going anywhere with him at all."

"That's good to know," Sirius whispered. "I've kinda had a thing for you for a long while, so I'd like to see where this goes?"

"So have I," Remus admitted. "I want to see where it goes too."

"Do you want to head back to the dorm?" Remus asked, his fingers sliding into Sirius'.

Sirius nodded, and they walked back towards the castle, hand in hand, only letting go as they arrived closer to the doors. Neither of them noticed the figure that had stood in the shadows and had seen everything.

They walked up to the dorm, and Remus' lips found Sirius' again. "Now I've learnt how amazing kissing can feel, I don't think I can stop," Remus admitted, and Sirius smiled shyly. "Same here. My previous kisses just felt wrong. Now I've kissed you, I know how -"

He was silenced by Remus' lips covering his own.

The door opened, and the boys jumped away from each other. They looked over and saw James and Lily come in.

"Hey mate, are you okay, you look a bit flustered?" James asked, in concern.

"I'm fine, I -"

James shook his head. "It's about earlier, isn't it?" Without waiting for a reply, he turned to Lily.

"I think it's best I walk you back to your dorm now, I gotta talk to Remus, make sure he's okay. Maybe tomorrow we could spend some time alone together, take a walk or something?"

Lily stared at him for a minute.

"Three things, James Potter. First, you are an idiot."

His smile slipped slightly, not noticing her slightly playful tone.

"Second, I'd love to go for that walk, and thirdly... this is a side to you that I wish I'd have seen earlier," and with that, she closed the distance between them, and pressed her lips against his, kissing him softly.

"Always be like this James, it's nice to see a James Potter that isn't arrogant and cares only about himself. This is the James Potter I would like to get to know. You stay here with the boys."

With a smile, and a peck on the cheek, she left the room.

James stared at the door, looking completely stunned.

"What just happened?" He asked, his fingers moving to his lips in shock.

"Lily Evans kissed you," Sirius said.

"She kissed me. I didn't imagine it, because I do tend to imagine a lot, like yesterday, I -"

"She really kissed you. She likes that you show concern for your friends, seems like you've managed to capture the attention of Lily," Remus said.

James let out a happy sigh. "I can die happy," he whispered, getting into bed and cuddling his pillow, before sitting up, and looking at Sirius and Remus. "Right, so are you okay?" he asked, again.

Remus nodded, and raised his eyebrows at Sirius in question. Sirius smiled and turned to James.

"Remus kissed me on our walk. Well, he kissed me a few times, and I kissed him a few times, and, well, we like each other and want to see where this goes between us. I like to think of this as dating, and soon Remus might even be my boyfriend... if he wants to be."

James grinned widely. "So all around, it's been perfect. So why did you look flustered when I came in?"

"We were kissing," Remus said, with a grin. "Lily worked it out, that's why she called you an idiot. I looked flustered I guess, because we didn't know it was you. It could have been Peter returning. We didn't want him to see."

James smiled at the both of them. "Well, I'm happy you've done something about this. You know how hard it was, having you both confide in me that you have feelings for each other, and not to be able to do anything about it, because Lily forbade me to?"

"That's pretty impressive," Sirius agreed. "You normally love to be involved in everything."

"Well, I think I'm going to sleep now," James said, stifling a yawn.

Remus stood up, his pyjamas in hand, but Sirius stopped him. "James, can you take a picture of us in our costumes? We never had a chance to take one."

James nodded, and pulled out the camera. Remus dropped his pyjamas back onto the bed, as Sirius threw his arm around Remus' shoulders. A second picture showed Sirius holding Remus tightly in his arms.

"One that we can stick on the wall," Sirius gestured to the wall between his and James' bed, full of pictures. "The other is private for now, but it'll be the first one we put in a frame when we all get our place after Hogwarts."

Remus smiled widely. "I can't wait," he said, picking up his pyjamas again and heading to the bathroom.

**...oOo...**

"So, do I get to stay here with you tonight?" Sirius asked shyly.

"Not a good idea, guys, Peter might come back and check on you. He's always watching everyone, the creepy little shit. I have a feeling he'll want to know if the rumours are true," James stated.

Remus sighed. "I guess you're right," he replied sadly.

"I'll join you again when it gets closer to the next full moon and you need me, hopefully a few days and Peter will have forgotten, and as long as we close both sets of curtains, it'll be fine," Sirius said, giving Remus a soft kiss on his lips before heading to his own bed.

Neither of the boys slept well that night, and because Peter returned, they weren't able to attempt to sneak into each other's beds.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who is reading this story. :)  
> I have loads more in the works.

The next morning, Sirius woke up to find Remus sitting on his bed next to him, his hand running over Sirius' cheek softly.

"Remus, what are you doing?" Sirius whispered, wondering why Remus hadn't just climbed in the bed and snuggled him.

Remus moved his hand back quickly, his smile dropping, an uncertain look replacing it. Had he overstepped the line? Had Sirius changed his mind? Or maybe Remus had just assumed he could touch Sirius without permission. "I'm sorry, I thought... after last night. I thought it was okay to do this, I shouldn't have, it was stupid of me to think –"

"Remus, shut up and kiss me," Sirius mumbled, a smile playing at his lips. He grabbed Remus by the front of his pyjamas and pulled the boy down onto the bed. Remus hadn't expected this, and fell forward, landing half on Sirius and half on the bed. He only had a second to realise that Sirius had pulled him down, before the dark-haired wizard's lips were on his.

After a minute of enjoying the Pure-Blood's soft lips against his, Remus pulled away. Sirius pouted slightly, and Remus smiled. "Peter's still here, he's in the shower," he explained.

"Remus, just so you know, it's okay to do that sort of thing. It was nice, waking up and you being here, I just didn't get why you weren't climbing into bed beside me," Sirius said, with a wink.

"I wanted to," Remus admitted. "I've gotten so used to sleeping in the bed with you, that it just didn't feel right last night, sleeping apart." His hand reached for Sirius' face, gently running down his jaw, before Remus' lips followed.

"I know," Sirius whispered, with a sigh. After pulling Sirius' mouth to his for another kiss, Remus quickly climbed off him, and moved back to his own bed. The second Remus sat down, Peter came out of the bathroom, and looked between the three boys in the dorm, before walking to his own bed and picking up a magazine to read.

The three other boys were confused. Peter rarely returned for fresh clothes, or to sleep. At the most, he came back to the dorms once or twice a week. Most of his stuff was in the Slytherin dorms. The Gryffindors had no problem with this, not wanting him around anyway, so the fact that he had settled on his bed was strange. He hadn't willingly spent any time in the dorms before. Maybe he was just waiting around to see if the rumours about Remus were true?

Sirius got out of his bed, and headed into the bathroom for a shower. Once the door had closed, James left the room to meet Lily, and Peter looked over at Remus, who had pulled a book out whilst he waited for his turn in the shower.

"I think the school deserves to know that there are some queers in this dorm," Peter said, and Remus' eyes shot to him in panic, the book quickly forgotten. "Because they don't know what to think at the moment. I bet they would love to know what happened by the Lake last night."

No, no, no.

"Did something interesting happen by the lake?" Remus asked, trying to appear as though he didn't know what Peter was talking about. It could have been a guess. Maybe Peter had seen Remus and Sirius leave and just assumed they were heading down there? Though if it were a guess, it was a very accurate one. Remus had a bad feeling about this.

"I was there, Lupin, I followed you out to the lake and saw you kiss Black, and saw him kiss you. It was disgusting."

Remus didn't say a word. He tried to think of something – anything – to help him deny this, but his mind was blank.

He looked back towards Peter, who had walked over to him. Peter was searching through the things on Remus' bedside table. He picked up a bar of Honeydukes chocolate, and proceeded to open it, a cruel smile on his lips, before he bit into it.

"Help yourself," Remus whispered, hoping that Peter would go away with the chocolate, and leave him to work out the problem. Hopefully, Remus would be able to think of something.

"We'll talk about this again, Lupin," Peter said. He left the dorm moments before Sirius emerged from the shower.

**...oOo...**

Sirius noticed that Remus was quiet all day, and he thought it was because everyone was watching him, wondering if what Michelle had said was true or not. Sirius, James and Lily kept people from bothering him, but Remus barely spoke. He seemed quite withdrawn. Sirius hoped that the rumours would stop soon, so Remus would be back to normal. Plus, there were so many girls and guys coming over to flirt with Remus, who kept his head down and didn't utter a word to anyone who approached him.

That night, Sirius, Remus and Benjy were standing in Professor McGonagall's office, waiting to be assigned their detention.

Professor McGonagall looked between the three of them. Sirius rarely fought, usually using his wand to hex people who angered him, so to find him fighting was a shock, but not as big of a shock as seeing Remus Lupin hit Benjy with enough force to break his nose, and send him flying. That was unexpected, and she knew if Remus was fighting, there must have been a valid reason, and not a silly little disagreement.

Not that she automatically assumed that Benjy was in the wrong, but Remus Lupin never even raised his voice. He must have been very angry.

"Who would like to explain to me what happened last night?" she asked, looking between the three faces. Benjy looked nervous, Sirius had made sure to stand in between Benjy and Remus, and kept glaring at Benjy in anger, and Remus wouldn't look at anyone. He looked shocked to even be in detention.

"These two went crazy and attacked me," Benjy said quickly.

Professor McGonagall looked at the Gryffindors. "Mr Lupin?" she asked, knowing that he would be the most likely to tell the truth.

"He was saying inappropriate things. We tried to leave..." Remus began, before trailing off nervously. He had never had a detention before. His gaze fell back on the floor.

"Mr Black?" She tried.

"He purposely provoked us and he treated Remus badly," Sirius stated, glaring at Benjy. "We tried to walk away, but he grabbed my arm, and said some bad things, so I hit him. We fought, and Remus pulled him off me, and he said some things to upset Remus, and Remus doesn't get upset easily. Remus hit him too, but Benjy really deserved it. Plus, Remus was only defending me, so he shouldn't even be here. Just give me Remus' detention on top of mine."

Remus gave Sirius a look of disapproval. "I'll do my own detention," he said softly, and Minerva could swear that she saw Remus' hand purposely stroke against Sirius' hand for a second, before moving back.

"I can't do that, Mr Black. You both have to serve your own detentions. Remus was a participant in the fight, after all. I'll tell you what you will be doing in a few minutes." McGonagall's gaze shifted from Sirius to Benjy. "Mr Fenwick, if you'd be so kind as to give me your memory?"

Benjy hesitated.

"I could ask Mr Black or Mr Lupin if you refuse," she pointed out, and Benjy reluctantly nodded. She placed the wand against his head, and used it to remove the memory and place it in the bowl.

"You will all accompany me, so I can make sure you don't kill each other in my absence," Professor McGonagall stated.

They all placed their hands into the bowl, and suddenly found themselves in the Great Hall, watching the party. The scene started from when Remus walked over to the drinks table, and Benjy broke away from his group of friends.

"Where are you, Mr Black?" Professor McGonagall asked, and Sirius pointed in the direction of the table he would approach from.

They stood close enough, listening to the conversation, and Sirius was approaching with a big smile on his face, which faltered when he saw Benjy. He heard the last words, and took Remus by the arm, beginning to lead him away, until Benjy stopped him. The Professor listened to every word and watched the fight in silence, and then focused on what happened between Benjy and Remus, before the memory ended, as Benjy was led away with his friends.

They found themselves in the office again, and all moved back to where they had been standing.

"Mr Black, Mr Lupin, you will have one week detention for fighting, and it will be in here with me. Mr Fenwick, 50 points from your house for your treatment of other students, and provoking them into fights. You will spend a week's detention with Mr Filch. I suggest you do not approach a student in that manner again, otherwise I'll be forced to be take stronger actions against you. There will be an owl sent home to all of your parents, outlining these events."

Benjy's eyes opened wide.

"Without details relating to the nature of the conversation," she added, accurately working out Benjy's concern. "Mr Fenwick, I suggest you head down to Mr Filch's office now."

Once Benjy had left, Professor McGonagall turned back to the boys.

"Mr Lupin, as you may be aware today, a lot of students are discussing you, and whether or not to believe the rumour that is going around."

Remus said nothing, and after a moment, she sighed. "If you need to talk to anyone, you are welcome to come see me in my office," she offered. "Now, I suggest you use this time to get on with the homework I set in class."

Remus and Sirius headed to an empty desk, and pulled out some parchment and ink. Remus put the ink on the desk between them, and started writing with his left hand, Sirius with his right, their other hands entwined on the desk between them.

Professor McGonagall looked up at them from her marking twenty minutes after they sat down, and saw their hands. Even through the awkwardness of how they were trying to write and keep their hands together, they chose to do it rather than letting go. She didn't miss the smiles they kept giving each other.

She waited another ten minutes, then stood up.

"Now if you boys don't mind, I have more important things to do than to sit in here. You can continue your detention in your dorms. I expect outstanding results on this assignment," she told them, trying not to smile. "I suggest that you bring homework with you to work on during detention each evening."

She watched them walk to the door hand in hand, only letting go when they had to leave the room. She left a couple of minutes after them. She needed to speak to Poppy, and Albus owed her five galleons.

**...oOo...**

Remus left the classroom quietly. It was the only lesson he had without Lily, Sirius and James, and he felt bored without them there to keep him company or entertain him. There had been a girl that had taken the usually empty seat beside him, and started talking to him, which had made the class a bit worse. He wasn't interested in speaking to her, but he found it difficult to be rude and tell her that. He hoped he had made it clear that he wasn't interested in her.

As he walked from the class, intent on getting away from the girl, Remus felt someone hit his shoulder. His books fell from his arms and hit the floor, some skidding away, as Remus stumbled and tried not to fall himself.

"Do you think you could keep your queer self out of my way?" hissed Peter, passing him and kicking some of his books down the hall. Remus ignored him, trying to avoid the blush staining his cheeks at the comment. He didn't know if anyone had heard the words, but if they had, they could put it down to the rumours that were going around about him. He bent down to pick up his books, and was relieved when Peter walked away. Frank Longbottom walked over, picking up books as he approached, and passed them to Remus.

"Everything alright?" he asked, and Remus nodded.

"Just tripped," he lied, gratefully accepting the books that Frank held out to him. "Thanks for your help," he added, before quickly walking in the direction of the library. He always felt safe in there, surrounded by books.

After dinner, James asked Sirius and Remus for company for Quidditch practise. They had both nodded, and Sirius was ready to go straight away. Remus decided to take a shower beforehand, and told them to head down without him. He would follow after his shower.

He didn't count on Peter sitting on the end of his bed, as he left the bathroom.

"That's quite a nice amount of chocolate you have in your trunk, Lupin," Peter said, and Remus just stared at him in panic.

"You went through my trunk?" he asked.

Peter nodded. "It was sitting right on the top, it was hard to miss," he stated, with a smile. Remus glared back at him.

"I'm sure you won't be needing it anymore... I think I'll take it off your hands." Peter picked up a bag from next to him on the bed, containing everything Remus had bought from Honeydukes on his and Sirius' previous trip. The pair had split the main bag, but Remus suspected Sirius had slipped a few extra bits into Remus' bag from his own.

"No, you can't have it," Remus said, storming over, and reaching for the bag in Peter's greedy hands. How dare Peter come in and start trying to take things, acting like he had a right to do so? Remus could feel the anger overtaking the need to be nice to Peter, for the sake of keeping the secret.

"Fine, keep it. I'm sure it'll come in handy once Sirius Black dumps you for being the cause of his secret coming out. I'm sure the chocolate would make you feel better."

Remus froze, his hands inches from the bag. Would Sirius really break up with him if their relationship came out? He had never considered that happening before, but now that the thought was in his head, there was no way to get rid of it.

"He would, you know. He's queer, but he dated a bunch of girls to hide his... abnormality. I think this secret is very important, and for his own boyfriend to be so careless, too," Peter sneered.

"What will it take to gain your silence?" Remus whispered.

Peter shrugged. "I haven't decided yet, but I'll let you know when I do. These little things like chocolate, and anything else I want will buy my silence until I make my mind up."

Remus couldn't do anything but nod. He'd do as Peter asked. The chocolate and sweets were a small price to pay for Sirius' happiness. He'd be so unhappy if the secret came out. Sirius wanted to choose when it would happen, after all, he had said himself that he hated everyone knowing everything about him. Sirius' secret and his relationship were more important than a bag of delicious chocolate.

Peter left the dorms with his whole stash, and Remus waited a few minutes before leaving to meet James and Sirius as agreed. He tried to regain control of his temper. He kept reminding himself that he was about to get some time with Sirius, and that brought a small smile to his lips.

Totally worth it.

**...oOo...**

The next evening, Remus found a picture of himself and Sirius under his pillow. It had been taken when they were cuddled up in bed the night before. They had shut Sirius' curtains, and shut his own, and been very careful, but at some point, Peter had checked their beds, found Sirius missing, and taken a picture.

He quickly pushed the picture under his mattress, feeling sick that they had been spied on like that. He desperately wanted to tell Sirius, and see what he thought, but Peter's words repeated in his head, over and over again.

What if Sirius did blame him if the secret got out?

He couldn't lose Sirius.

**...oOo...**

Remus was halfway through his Transfiguration essay. He had chosen to do it in the Library, as Peter had spent more time in the dorms, and Remus felt uncomfortable being in the same room as him. Even if Peter did leave him alone when his friends were around. The Library was his sanctuary, and Sirius and James had gone to play Quidditch again. Sirius had invited Remus along, mentioning that Remus should try flying. They didn't realise that Remus could actually fly quite well, and was looking forward to surprising them. He knew that James was giving Lily flying lessons that night too.

He had told them that he would come down once his essay was finished.

Sirius had offered to come to the library with him, but Remus felt he was best left doing the assignment alone. If Sirius was with him, he would be all too aware of every movement Sirius made. He wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off Sirius and the assignment wouldn't get done. Remus would be fantasising about the other boy's lips, and the way his fingers would run through his hair, or stroke the back of his neck. The way Sirius' hands stroked over his face, or the way that Sirius would look at him, just before he would kiss him. Holding hands also featured in his fantasies, as did the way that they held each other as they fell asleep.

Although, they hadn't shared a bed since Remus found the picture a few days before. Not that Sirius knew the real reason why, and he wouldn't.

Remus realised that the thought of Sirius was just as distracting as the real thing. He also realised he had just spent half an hour lost in his thoughts of Sirius Black. He quickly shook himself, bringing his attention back to the essay. The quicker he finished the essay, the quicker he could get to Sirius, drag him into one of the Quidditch stands, and kiss him until his lips were sore. They didn't get to kiss much, as Peter had been in the dorm much more than usual.

After another few minutes, he shook himself again, and finally turned his attention to his essay. He pushed all thoughts of Sirius Black out of his head, and worked steadily. He was so engrossed in his work, he didn't hear someone approach him, not until his ink pot was knocked over, onto the parchment. He reached for it, to right it and hopefully save his work – or what was readable, but he felt a hand grab his arm.

He pulled his arm free, and reached for the ink pot, but it was too late. The parchment had soaked it all up, and all his work was wasted.

He looked up at the person who had caused it, knowing exactly who he would see.

Peter.

But this time, Peter wasn't alone.

"Remus Lupin," came a voice, and Remus looked at the boy who had said his name. The look the other boy was giving him made his skin crawl, and he quickly gathered his things, including the ruined parchment, and rushed from the Library.

He had an even worse feeling now that Antonin Dolohov was involved.

**...oOo...**

For the next couple of weeks, It seemed that wherever Remus went, Peter was there, and sometimes Antonin Dolohov was with him. Remus stayed with Sirius or James constantly, not wanting to be apart from them, because Peter only bothered him when he was alone. Dolohov never actually did anything, he would just watch him with a look that made his skin crawl. He wasn't the only person watching the situation. An outsider had started to pick up on what was happening.

Sirius, James and Lily noticed the way that Remus was acting, and couldn't work out what was going on. Neither of the boys minded that Remus needed them around constantly, but they knew something was up with him. They all watched, but other than some strange looks from other students, they couldn't work it out, and when Sirius asked Remus if something was wrong, Remus denied that anything was bothering him.

Not that they would be able to see, as it all happened when they weren't around, and no matter how much attention Sirius paid, he couldn't work out what was wrong.

**...oOo...**

It was almost three weeks after the incident at the Halloween Party that Lily fell down the staircase, breaking her ankle. Remus had to go and do patrolling rounds alone, while Lily went to the Hospital Wing. He didn't think anything of it, and when he, Sirius and James returned from the Hospital Wing, Remus got ready and left to do his rounds.

Frank came into the dorm a few minutes after Remus had left the Gryffindor tower, and said there was someone who needed to speak to them waiting outside in the hallway, and it was urgent, and that Remus was in trouble. That was all Sirius needed to hear. He had his shoes on and his wand in his hand in seconds, and was rushing out of the door. James followed, having stopped to grab his Invisibility Cloak.

In the hallway outside the portrait, Severus Snape was waiting for them. He didn't seem shocked when the pair pointed their wands at his face.

"Your Wolf is in trouble," he said, just as Frank came out of the portrait hole. Frank froze at the words.

"Wolf?" he asked, and the three spun around and looked at him, wide-eyed, before Sirius glared at Snape. "I should hex you, you greasy –"

"I had no intention of anyone hearing that," Snape said, now looking slightly nervous, as he watched the wand in Sirius' hand. "Do you really want to hex me, or do you want to find out what is up with your... friend. I've heard some concerning things in my dorm, and I know that Dolohov and Pettigrew are planning something tonight, involving Lupin. I suggest you just listen, and only intervene should they try and hurt him. You'll need proof to take to the Headmaster."

"Why are you telling us this?" James asked, not lowering his wand. "Be quick so we can help Remus."

"They were the ones that cast the tripping hex on Lily, which caused her to fall down the staircase," Snape said angrily. "They wanted to get Lupin alone, and patrols seemed like the best time. I may have called Lily a Mudblood, but it doesn't mean I don't care about what happens to her. Also, I don't condone what they are planning to do to Lupin."

"Where is he?" James asked.

"Second floor, I just saw him go towards that floor on my way up," Snape said, before turning and disappearing quickly down the stairs, heading back to the Dungeons.

The pair grabbed Frank and pulled him along. "Listen, don't tell anyone about Remus, because –" James began, as they rushed towards the second floor.

"Remus is one of us, and he's harmless... is he a Werewolf?" Frank interrupted, whispering the word 'Werewolf'. He looked around to make sure there was no-one nearby that could overhear.

Sirius hesitated in his answer.

"I won't say a word. I like Remus, he's a nice guy, and he's never hurt anyone, right?" Frank said.

Sirius still hesitated. "You should speak to Remus," he whispered, as they got to the second floor. James cast an enlargement charm on the cloak, throwing it over them.

"What is –" Frank began, before James shushed him, leading them down the corridor. They saw Remus walking away from them, looking quite calm. Clearly, the pair Snape had been talking about hadn't turned up yet – if they were going to, it could be a trap, for all they knew.

But Sirius didn't think it was a trap. He just remembered how Remus had been the last few weeks, and to find out that there was some plot against him made him wonder if the boys had been bothering him, and for how long. As they slowly followed Remus, Sirius remembered the day that it had all started.

"James, do you remember the morning after the party, Remus was happy, and then suddenly he wasn't, and we assumed that it was because people were talking about him?" he whispered, and James nodded.

"Don't you remember that Peter started hanging around the dorm? In fact, the first time was that morning?"

James frowned for a second. "Yeah, I think you went for a shower, I headed to find Lily. You don't think he's been hassling Remus since then?"

"That's exactly what I think," Sirius replied in a whisper. "Though I don't know why Remus is allowing it, or why he didn't tell us."

Frank looked around, and spotted the pair walk into the hallway. "Remember, we need as much as possible to take back to Dumbledore. Don't interfere unless it looks like Remus is going to get hurt."

The pair nodded.

"I'm not kidding. If they're causing him trouble, they won't be very nice. We need to wait it out, no matter how angry you get Sirius, this is for Remus' own good."

Sirius nodded again, determinedly. He knew what Frank was saying, and he knew it would be hard to keep control whilst watching Remus be bullied or whatever was going to happen.

Remus turned to look around, hearing footsteps echo through the hall. His gaze shifted straight past the trio under the Cloak, and fixed on the pair that were approaching.

Peter and Dolohov.


	18. Chapter 18

"Lupin, looking as poor as ever. Is that another sewn up rip in your robes? Can't your parents afford new ones?" Peter called.

Remus looked frozen at the sight of them both.

"Don't have your little friends to keep you safe? I mean, don't have your fuck buddy and his sidekick?" Peter added, not getting a response at his first comment.

James and Sirius bristled at that. Frank was glaring at Peter and Dolohov, but they stayed silent under the cloak.

"Don't talk about them like that," Remus growled.

"Hit a nerve?" Peter sneered. "Well, we've decided what needs to happen for your secret to stay a secret."

"Why should I do this anymore?" Remus asked.

"Because we don't want to have to hurt any more of your friends to get your attention," Dolohov spoke up, and Remus' gaze shot to him, aghast.

"Lily. You hurt her?" He asked.

From under the cloak, James was shaking in anger. It was one thing Snape telling him that they were the cause of Lily's accident, but to hear them admit to it...

"Well, you weren't giving us any chance to be alone with you, we had to find a way," Antonin explained. "Don't blame Peter, I was the one that asked him to arrange this meeting. He could have done worse to that little Mudblood, but I wanted you to be compliant, and if we hurt her too much, you might have been angry and made this more difficult."

James almost hexed them right there, but Frank squeezed his shoulder slightly, trying to remind him why they were hiding under the Cloak in the first place. Frank knew that Sirius and James were hex first, think later type of guys, and he would have to be the voice of reason. The one to keep them calm and find out exactly why Dolohov and Pettigrew went through that trouble to get Remus alone. There was clearly a bigger reason than taunting him, and they were in a perfect position to find out, and keep Remus safe at the same time.

He whispered this quietly to the boys, they nodded in agreement, and the three of them paid close attention to what was going on.

Remus growled, and moved towards Dolohov, before he found a wand in his face. "Back up Lupin, we have a lot to discuss," Peter said.

"Haven't you done enough?" Remus growled.

"I wouldn't call a bag of Honeydukes and a few little jokes enough," Peter said, a smirk crossing his face.

"Jokes? You've been tormenting me for the last few weeks," Remus snapped.

"Now, I owe Antonin, he's been helping me with something... and as repayment, well, that's where you come in. I own you, Lupin. So we're here to make a deal."

"I don't want to hear any deal you have to offer," Remus said, his eyes flicking between the pair uncertainly. His fingers slowly moved towards his wand. What could they possibly want from him now? Remus didn't even want to know, he just wanted to return to his dorm and feel Sirius' arms around him.

"Oh, you do," Peter insisted. "Antonin owns your secret now."

"And what will it cost to keep the silence?" Remus asked. He was tired of it all, but he couldn't let Sirius down.

The pair stayed silent, and Sirius felt Frank squeeze his shoulder again, stopping him from rushing out to confront the pair. Did they know that Remus was a Werewolf? Were they blackmailing him? Sirius struggled not to get involved.

"Listen, I've done everything you've asked. I've allowed you to get away with so much, I'm not taking this anymore," Remus said firmly, hoping that they would leave him alone if he stood up for himself.

No such luck.

"You don't care if we tell everyone you like being fucked by other men?" Antonin asked, his eyes crawling over Remus, making Remus feel a bit ill at the look on Dolohov's face.

Remus shook his head. "They all suspect I'm gay anyway, why should I bother denying it?"

"And Black... no-one suspects him? What will he do when we tell everyone about him?" Peter asked.

"He..." Remus trailed off. Sirius might leave him.

"How would he feel to find out it's your fault he got found out?" Antonin asked, and Remus' gaze hit the floor.

"He wouldn't be happy," Peter answered.

"He would leave you. Even a blood traitor like him could do better," Antonin said, a sly smile on his long pale face. The smile widened as Remus went pale, knowing that it could possibly happen.

"Look at you, you can't even get more robes to replace these rags," Peter pointed out. "Why would he want you?"

Sirius went to move forward, but Frank held him back. When Sirius glared at him, he mouthed to Sirius that he should listen and not do anything yet. His hand remained on Sirius' shoulder, as it seemed to be the only thing keeping Sirius in place.

Remus finally sighed.

"Please, tell anyone you want about me, but don't tell them about Sirius. Don't do this, Peter, Antonin," he said softly. "You hurt someone, this isn't right. Let's just end this now?"

"Oh, we intend to, but Antonin needs something from you first," Peter explained, a twisted smile on his face. Remus took a step back, hitting the wall. There was just something in their eyes that told him that he should be worried.

"Here I was, thinking you cared about Black. I got that impression that night by the Lake. It was sickening," Peter said.

"Shut up," Remus hissed, losing his control. "You didn't have to be there, you didn't have to follow us, to watch us. What, did you get some sick pleasure out of it? Maybe you're the one keeping secrets, Peter."

"Think he's got you there, Pettigrew," Dolohov laughed cruelly, watching Peter turn red. Peter didn't look amused anymore.

"Fuck off, Lupin, before I lose my temper," he said. "Dolohov has a request. No, no, it's more like an order."

"What... what do I need to do? Will this be the last thing, if I do what you ask, will you leave Sirius alone?" Remus demanded.

"One thing?" Dolohov laughed. "It'll be more than one thing."

"What is it?" Remus asked, trying to move away, as Dolohov moved closer.

"What do you think it is?" Dolohov asked.

Remus shook his head, his gaze flicking between the both of them – they both looked cruel. Remus had a bad feeling about where this was going.

"You want gold? You... want to humiliate me?" Remus whispered. Whatever it was, he would do it to get them to leave Sirius alone.

"Oh, you have it wrong, Remus. I want you," Dolohov said.

"Me?" Remus repeated, not understanding. He frowned slightly. "I'm not sure what you mean?"

"So innocent, Remus Lupin," Dolohov said, his hand reaching for Remus' cheek, and Remus pushed it away.

"Don't touch me," he hissed. "You don't get to touch me." Remus' hand slowly gripped his own wand, as he began to slide it from his pocket, now that they weren't paying attention to where his hands were. "I don't know what your game is, but you tell me what you want, I'm sick of this."

"Saving yourself for Black?" Dolohov smirked. "You're clearly more innocent than I thought."

Remus stared at him in confusion. What had that got to do with anything?

"Answer him," Peter snarled, and Remus' eyes widened at the wand pointed at him again. "I'd put that wand back in your pocket. If you attempt to point that at us, you'll regret it."

Remus pushed the wand back into his pocket.

"I said answer him," came Peter's threatening tones, and Remus froze for a second, as he tried to process what he had been asked.

"Yes, I am, for Sirius," he whispered. Why did they even want to know?

"Why?" Dolohov asked.

"Because... because I... only want Sirius," Remus said.

"Naïve little virgin," Dolohov laughed. "Just how I like them. I'm going to enjoy you."

Sirius felt the pressure from Frank's grip on his shoulder tighten slightly. If Frank hadn't been there, Dolohov would be crying on the floor right now. That's if he could still breathe, after what Sirius wanted to do to him. He knew he had to wait and listen, and find out what they had been planning, but it was hard to do.

"Wait, you're not suggesting..." Remus began, finally understanding what Antonin was asking. "No, I won't do it. You can't have me."

"Just for a couple of hours," Peter said, as though they were discussing something of little importance, such as lending a book.

"I won't ruin you too much for Black, and you'll have your secret. We'll even do an Unbreakable Vow. I get two hours to do anything I want to you."

Remus panicked, looking between the both of them. "No," he said. "I belong with Sirius."

"Do you think he'll still want you when you destroy his life by allowing his secret to get out?" Peter asked.

Remus went to answer, before his mouth shut. He didn't know the answer to that, but he thought back to the day by the Lake when he had told his friends that he was gay, and how Sirius had made his secret sound so important.

"I'll just have to take that chance," he replied, hoping to call their bluff. Maybe they could ask something else of him, something that wasn't sexual. He wouldn't do that with anyone that wasn't Sirius Black. He had known from the moment they had kissed that he wanted everything to happen with Sirius.

"Then you'll be all alone," Dolohov pointed out. "Black won't want you, and who else is there that would want a dirty, poor little Half-Blood?"

Remus was shaking slightly. In his head, it wasn't just the words Half-Blood that were echoing. He could hear Half-Breed sounding in there, too. They were right. Who would want him? He was just a poor Werewolf. He wasn't Pure-Blooded, he wasn't even human.

Remus' breathing had shallowed, as he panicked silently. Dolohov moved closer to him, but his back was already against the wall, there was no-where for him to go. Sirius made to move forward, but the others held him back.

"We'll stop them before they do anything, but the more proof we have, the better," Frank whispered, and Sirius glared at him, wanting to punch Frank too. He might have been right, but couldn't Frank see how much this was all hurting Remus?

The sounds they made on the floor drew Peter's attention, though he couldn't see them. He assumed that someone was close by, maybe in a nearby hallway.

"Antonin, I think we need to wrap this up," Peter said, looking up the hallway, hoping no-one turned up.

"Two hours," Antonin repeated, his hand touching Remus' face, and he smiled widely when Remus flinched at his touch.

"What will those two hours entail?" Remus whispered. He was going to get out of there somehow and see Professor McGonagall and report them for this. He wouldn't allow it to happen. He knew the more time spent talking, the more chance he had that someone would come and find them. Maybe Sirius would come after him, planning to drag him off to a hidden alcove for a kiss, like he had done the night before, as they weren't able to do it in the Dorm room because of Peter, or in the Common Room. Maybe it would be another Prefect that found them instead. He just needed more time.

Even if no-one else came, he'd get away somehow. Dolohov would not have him. He belonged to Sirius. The only person allowed to touch him was Sirius. The only person he would ever touch would be Sirius.

"Everything you can imagine," Dolohov replied. "Don't think of it as blackmail, think of it as a lesson you can teach your little Blood Traitor. I'll teach you to be submissive, I can tell you have some fight in you. I like fight, and I like taking it away."

He grinned cruelly, and Remus shivered in disgust. "You'll learn not to flinch when I touch you. In fact, you'll be begging me for more. You'll enjoy it. You might not even want Black when I'm finished."

"Otherwise everyone knows about Black, and you lose him, you lose your little set of friends you've built up. Do you think they'll still want to be your friend if Black isn't?" Peter added.

Remus stayed against the wall, without uttering a word. He was trying to decide on the best way to keep them talking, and Dolohov moved so that he was almost pressed against Remus.

"Why do you need so long to decide?" he wondered out loud. "Do you love the Blood-Traitor? Do you honestly think he could love you back? Even he wouldn't want someone like you for long."

"Answer him," Peter demanded, the wand in his face again, and Remus slowly nodded his head.

"Yes," he whispered. "I love Sirius. He cares about me, and that's more than enough. I won't cheat on him, I won't allow you to blackmail me anymore. It doesn't matter if he doesn't love me back, I don't expect him to, but he wants to be with me. I won't be used in your sick fantasies, Dolohov. I would never let you touch me."

The smirk on Dolohov's face slipped, replaced by something cold and cruel.

"What, can't find anyone with your amazing wit or charm, so you have to blackmail people into having sex with you? Pathetic," Remus continued. If he could get Dolohov closer, then he could knock him out, and send for help before Peter had a chance to react.

"Oh, my little Lupin. You're acting like you have a choice," Antonin said, and Sirius let out a low growl. He felt Frank's hand on his shoulder. Remus' eyes flickered down the hall. He could have sworn that he had heard Sirius. Maybe he was mistaken.

Remus drew his attention back to the other boys in the hall. He knew that Sirius could turn up at any moment, but he could be wrong, he could have imagined the noise. He had to get away. He started to pull the wand from his pocket.

"Imperio," Antonin said, and a blank look replaced Remus' fearful expression.

Sirius was desperate to get out there and kill the pair, but James gave him a look. The look that he gave when Sirius was missing something important.

"Just trust me, and wait," James whispered, before his eyes fell on the Werewolf again. "Remus won't be doing anything they ask, trust me."

"Lupin, put your wand away," Peter said, and Remus slowly returned it to his pocket.

"There's a good boy," Dolohov told him, as though he was talking to a pet dog. "Now, follow me into the classroom. I want you to suck me off," he said, with a grin. "Then I'm going to make you my pet. The two hours were only if you were willing, but you weren't, so I'll take my time breaking you. Your friends will find you tomorrow morning, and Black won't want to touch you when I'm finished with you. I expect you to put up a fight in there, but you're not allowed to escape or leave the room. I want you to enjoy it once the fight leaves you. I want you begging for more."

The blank look stayed on Remus' face. He willed himself not to start shaking. It was hard to look blank when he was terrified.

Dolohov moved closer, and grabbed his face roughly, he brought his lips down, and just as they went to meet Remus', Remus brought his head back, and smashed it as hard as he could into the other boy's face. He grabbed his wand from his pocket as Dolohov stumbled backwards, and Remus shot out a Patronus to Professor McGonagall.

"Expelliarmus!" Frank shouted, as he saw Dolohov and Peter move towards Remus, their wands raised. The wands flew into Frank's hand. Peter and Dolohov's eyes widened, and Remus noted with satisfaction the thick stream of blood streaming down Dolohov's face, before Dolohov was knocked down by a fist hitting his already broken nose.

James rushed over before Peter could come to his senses, and twisted his arm behind him, forcing him face-first into the wall. There was a cracking sound that satisfied James. He really wanted to beat the living crap out of the sorry excuse for a Gryffindor, but instead, he put his arm behind Peter's head to stop him moving. He gave a small pull on Peter's arm, eliciting a pained yelp, and smiled in satisfaction.

Dolohov hit the ground hard, and Sirius forgot all about his wand, as his fists connected over and over with Dolohov's face.

"You fucking think you can touch my Remus? My boyfriend? Saying all that shit to him, and think you can get away with it?" Sirius shouted, enjoying the sensation each time his fist met flesh. He enjoyed the blood that was appearing from his nose, his mouth, the grunts of pain. He deserved this. He deserved to suffer.

Dolohov tried to fight back, but there was no stopping the rage that Sirius was displaying. It wasn't like the fight against Benjy. He wanted to kill Dolohov for what he had tried to do to Remus. Dolohov couldn't stop him.

"He's with me, and he's always going to be. Tell who you like about us, I don't care, I got Remus. If you come near him again, I'll fucking cut off your dick and shove it –"

"Mr Black," came Professor McGonagall's voice from behind him, as she rushed up the hall.

"– Down your throat," he continued, stumbling as he was pulled off the Slytherin. "In fact, come near him again, and I'll kill you, and I'll enjoy watching the life leave your body, knowing that you can't come near Remus again."

Two sets of hands were pulling him back, and he swung his leg as hard as possible, making contact with the blood covered boy on the ground. Sirius let out a laugh, as Dolohov let out a pained sound as Sirius' foot connected with his ribs. Sirius pulled towards Dolohov again, his leg trying to meet him a second time. "Sick bastard," he roared.

"Mr Black –" Professor McGonagall shouted.

"I'll get one of my cousin's cursed blades, and slowly cut you into little pieces, and –"

"Mr Black, you will control yourself," Professor McGonagall demanded.

"I'll throw your remains to the Thestrals," Sirius shouted, throwing himself towards Dolohov again, only to find himself unable to move from the vice like grips on his arms. They didn't stop him trying, as he struggled to get out of the arms holding him, throwing all his power into it, and failing to get free.

"Mr Black," Professor McGonagall roared. "Please see to Mr Lupin."

Sirius immediately stopped fighting to get to Antonin Dolohov again, and the hands lessened their grip. He looked around to find Professor Slughorn and Frank, still holding his arms, worried that he'd go after Dolohov again. Sirius' gaze shifted around in search of Remus, and fell on James, who still had Peter against the wall, with one arm twisted behind his back, and James' other arm against the back of Peter's neck, making it extremely painful if Peter moved. He noted in satisfaction the blood on the wall where Peter had hit it and then struggled.

Finally, he saw Remus behind him. Remus had sunk to the ground the moment his friends had turned up. His body was shaking hard. He wasn't affected by the Imperius, as he was a Werewolf, but he had played along, waiting for the pair to let their guard down. He had been terrified that his plan wouldn't work, and when his friends had appeared, the relief had shot through his body, and he felt drained from the ordeal.

He couldn't help but think about what would have happened if his plan had failed, and he had been forced into that classroom, because even though the Imperio hadn't worked, he knew that someone who would cast an Unforgivable Curse didn't have anything to lose by forcing himself on another student.

"Remus," Sirius said softly, quickly moving over to Remus, and dropping on the floor next to him. He quickly wrapped his arms around the Werewolf. "Are you okay?"

Remus leaned his head on Sirius' chest, letting his arms wrap around Sirius in return, as he shifted closer, so he was almost in Sirius' lap. He was safe now. Sirius had come looking for him.

Professor McGonagall took in the sight around her the same way Sirius had. James had Peter Pettigrew up against the wall, Remus was having a panic attack, and Sirius Black had beaten Antonin Dolohov up. Antonin Dolohov was bleeding quite badly on the ground, broken nose, spitting up blood. She had never seen anyone kick someone that hard in the ribs before, and she suspected that there was at least one broken rib. There also seemed to be blood on the back of his head, where it had hit the floor. It must have happened at one point when Sirius had punched him.

"All of you, follow me to the Headmaster's office," came her disapproving voice. "Mr Dolohov, hospital –"

"Professor, Dolohov used an Unforgivable on Remus," Frank said. "I saw him do it."

She looked back at Remus.

"He did, Professor," Frank insisted. "They've been blackmailing Remus, and we didn't know until we overheard them a few minutes ago. The price for their silence over the matter was... well, it was Remus. Remus said no, they said that he didn't have a choice, cast an Imperio on him and told him to follow them into that classroom. They gave him an order on what to do, which I would very much not want to repeat the exact orders to you, but it would be rape, Professor. Next, when Dolohov tried to force Remus to kiss him, Remus head-butted him in the face and cast the Patronus. We saw them move towards Remus and knew they would hurt him, that's when we intervened."

"Remus?" Professor McGonagall asked, and he looked at Sirius nervously.

"Tell them the truth," Sirius said softly. "I'm not going to be mad if my secret gets out. It's not your fault. Maybe it's time that people knew." If he had shown everyone how much Remus meant to him, instead of watching Remus try to keep his sexuality a secret, none of this would have happened.

But on the other hand, Dolohov would still have had a sick fascination with his boyfriend. At least this way, Dolohov was going to Azkaban for using an Unforgivable.

Remus stared at Sirius for a moment, so relieved to know that Sirius wasn't leaving him and that Sirius wasn't angry. He wanted nothing more than to press his lips against Sirius' for reassurance, but that would need to wait.

Remus looked back at Professor McGonagall and nodded. "It's true," he said, trying to keep his voice from shaking. "I'll give you the memory. They were the ones that caused Lily to fall down the staircase and break her ankle, because they wanted to get me alone, and since she usually patrols with me, they knew I'd do it alone instead."

"When did this start?" Professor McGonagall asked him.

"The day after the Halloween Party. They saw us out by the Lake and knew the rumours were true, and they've been using it against me."

"Why didn't you come to me when this began?" She asked.

Remus didn't answer, instead looking down. He felt Sirius' hand gently run over his arm, soothing him.

"It's my fault, Professor," Sirius said. "Remus was under the impression that I didn't want anyone knowing that we were in a relationship. Had I known what Remus was going through, I wouldn't have hesitated in telling the school, so that Pettigrew and Dolohov would have had nothing to blackmail him with. A few weeks ago, before me and Remus started dating, I told Remus that I was gay, and he wondered why no-one knew. I told him that I liked having one secret in my life that I could control, as everyone knows everything else about me. I think that Remus tried to keep my secret for me, and Dolohov and Pettigrew were putting doubts into Remus' head, making him believe that I would blame him if the secret came out, and making him think that I wouldn't want to be with him anymore."

Sirius got up from the floor, before pulling Remus up. He wrapped his arms around him tightly, and felt the same power in Remus' hold on him. "I would never blame you. Forget everything Pettigrew and Dolohov said, you are more important to me than a silly secret. I don't care if everyone knows," Sirius said, his lips gently brushing over Remus'.

Slughorn stared at them in shock. The only one in the group that didn't know or suspect what was happening.

"We need to take this situation to the Headmaster right now." Professor McGonagall looked over at James, who had Peter pinned against the wall.

"Mr Potter, I think it's best you let Mr Pettigrew down now."

"I don't think that's wise, don't you see his arm, Professor?" James asked, and Professor McGonagall moved closer. As she moved around the side of the boys, she had a good view of Peter's arm, which revealed the Dark Mark on the arm that James had twisted behind him.

She trained her wand on Peter, and James let go of Peter's arm, removed the arm that was pressing against Peter's neck, which had made him incapable of moving, and stepped away. Peter let out a hiss of pain as he moved his arm and rubbed his neck, and James came to stand on Remus' other side, his wand trained on Peter, whilst Frank's was trained on Antonin Dolohov, although he looked like he would barely be able to stand after the beating Sirius had given him.

"Everyone to the Headmaster's office, now," Slughorn said, his wand pointed at Peter and Antonin. He motioned for the others to lower theirs, which they hesitantly did.

They all walked in silence to the Headmaster's office, neither Professor making any effort to heal Dolohov.

**...oOo...**

They arrived at the office, and found the Headmaster sitting at his desk. Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle as he took in the state of the students. Peter's head wound, Antonin's blood covered face, and the way Remus was shaking, and Sirius was whispering comforting things into his ear, trying to calm him. Wordlessly, he summoned chairs, and they sat down. His eyes focussed on the wand in Slughorn's hand, which was pointed at the pair.

"Mr Lupin, I think it's best we give your memory to the Headmaster, before we send for the Aurors," Professor McGonagall said.

"Aurors, Minerva?" Dumbledore asked, and she nodded.

"Attempted sexual assault, use of an Unforgivable, assault on Miss Evans, causing her to break her ankle. Mr Pettigrew is sporting a new tattoo on his inner arm, one we've all come to know," she stated. "In addition to the less worrisome issues of the bullying Remus has experienced. Only less worrying in regards to the events that have happened here tonight."

Dumbledore nodded, and Remus extracted his memory, which began with when he saw the pair in the hallway, until they started walking towards the office they were seated in.

Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall both touched the pensive, and everyone else waited patiently for them to finish. Frank brought his wand up towards Dolohov, who was looking around, as though he planned to escape. James' wand was raised too. Sirius kept his arms around Remus, who was pressed tightly to his chest.

Once they had returned from the memory, Dumbledore took his seat again, looking angrier than any of the students had ever seen him.

"Remus, I need details of what's been happening to you," he said, and Remus nodded. After a moment, he started to recount the bullying for the Headmaster.

Once he was finished, Dumbledore sat in silence, thinking, before bringing his gaze to them again.

"Boys, I suggest you all head to the Hospital Wing, and stay there until Minerva or I tell you otherwise. Make sure that Remus is alright."

They stood up to leave.

"Also, fifty points to each of you for your bravery tonight. You came through for your friend... or boyfriend in your case, Sirius. You caught a Death Eater, and you stopped a very serious attack from happening. It's clear that you only intervened when you felt your friend was in danger, which I should assume is thanks to Frank."

His gaze moved to Remus. "Well done, Mr Lupin. You threw off the Imperius extremely well." Remus frowned for a moment, before he understood the Headmaster. In case he was asked by anyone, he was to tell them that he threw it off. He had already come to that conclusion himself. He wasn't exactly going to tell people that it was because of him being a Werewolf.

They turned to leave, and the last thing they heard before they left was an order that Dumbledore gave to Professor McGonagall.

"Minerva, I need you to go to the Lupins' and inform them of what transpired here tonight. They may return with you if they are willing, otherwise can you get Dorea? I think Remus could use a mother right now, as could the other boys. I also would like Mrs Pettigrew brought here."

**...oOo...**

They walked in silence, Sirius refusing to let go of Remus' hand, and quickly arrived at the Hospital Wing. They walked in and Madam Pomfrey went to scold them about visiting hours, until she saw Remus' shaking, the look of panic still on his face, and the blood on Sirius.

"What happened?" She asked.

Frank just shook his head. "We need to wait here until told otherwise, Headmaster's orders. Remus was attacked, and we got into a fight," he said. "He's just waiting on the Aurors now."

"Aurors?" She asked.

"Well, one of them Imperio'd Remus, and the other had the Dark Mark," Frank explained. "They admitted they caused Lily's injury to get Remus alone."

She nodded, and waved at the bed next to Lily's, and Sirius guided Remus over to the bed. James pulled a chair between the two beds, and Frank sat on the other side, as Sirius sat on the bed next to Remus.

"James, when Remus was Imperio'd and I wanted to go and help him, you stopped me. I knew what the look on your face meant, and it meant I was missing something important, and you said to trust you, so I did," Sirius said. "I want to know why you stopped me."

"Because I know more about Werewolves than you, and I know that they are immune to Imperio," James said, and Remus looked shocked, his gaze moving to Frank. James must have forgotten that Frank was there.

"Oh, I already know," Frank said. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me, although when I questioned Sirius, he kept telling me that I should speak to you."

Remus stared at him in shock.

"Really. I won't tell anyone," he promised.

"So, Remus was never under the Imperio?" Sirius said, his eyebrows raised. "I was impressed at how quickly he threw it off."

"I wasn't, I just pretended to be. My plan was to get them to let their guard down by thinking I was, and take whatever opportunity I could. I thought sending for help was the best bet – if I ran, they'd hex me and possibly catch me. I knew Professor McGonagall was near, as I passed her when I was on the first floor, about to come up to the second. I knew she'd follow the Patronus. It was just whether I could be free long enough to send one."

Sirius nodded, and pulled Remus closer, happy that the Werewolf was safe in his arms.

Five minutes passed before a women walked into the room, looking around.

"James," she said, spotting the group. "I'm not certain why I'm here, Minerva didn't give me any details, she just turned up and asked me to come here, she seemed really angry. I swear that I thought she was going to break something at the house."

"She probably had a run in with Mr Lupin again," Sirius mumbled.

"What happened?" Dorea asked, looking around the group.

"Remus was attacked, and we defended him," James said. "Plus, I caught a Death Eater."

Dorea looked at Remus sitting on the bed, wrapped in Sirius' arms.

"Dear, where are your parents?"

"Oh, they won't come," Remus said, with a shrug. He saw her looked at him in shock. "I'm used to it."

"Well, you'll need someone with you when you talk to the Aurors. I'll be here for that, of course," she decided. "Now, who's going to fill me in?"

Sirius looked quite nervous.

"Mum, there's something you've got to know for a start; it's about me. I haven't told many people yet, but..." he paused, trying to form the words.

"Oh," she said, realising what his was going to say. "Sirius darling, you haven't done a very good job at hiding it. I think I've known longer than you have."

He stared at her in shock. "Yeah... well, how?"

"Oh darling, it's just that all I've heard from James for years is Lily this and Lily that, and... well, you've been the same. Going on about Remus Lupin for the last three years now, although I don't think you really understood why you were so drawn to him at first. You were quite obvious about it. That and the fact that you're cuddling him."

Sirius blushed. "Well, we've been dating since Halloween," Sirius admitted.

"So, almost three weeks. I'm glad. I'm guessing this is the same Remus that you have constantly talked about?" She teased, causing him to blush deeper, and Remus to smile.

"Years, James?" came a girl's voice from the next bed.

"Lily, you're awake," James said, quickly moving over to her bed. "Mum, this is Lily."

Dorea smiled at the redhead. "It's nice to finally have a face to put with the name."

Lily smiled and went to reply, but her gaze fell on Sirius and Remus.

"Sirius, what happened, whose blood is that?"

"Dolohov's," he growled.

"Dolohov? Isn't he that insane Slytherin?" She asked. "Remus? What did he do?"

Remus' gaze hit the floor again, and Lily tried to get out of the bed, but James gently pushed her back, stopping her getting up.

"Dolohov was the one that made you fall down the stairs and break your ankle, he admitted it to Remus," James said.

"Where is he?" She growled, her hand grabbing the wand off the side, and she pushed James away, trying to get out of bed again.

"In Dumbledore's office, waiting for the Aurors to take him and Peter away," Frank said.

Dorea's face was hard. "There are Aurors involved? What happened?"

Just as he was about to answer, the doors to the Hospital Wing were flung open.

"Remus?"

Remus jumped up from the bed, as he took in the sight by the door, where a very dishevelled Hope Lupin stood, looking at her son nervously. They all stared at the women, who looked like she had gotten dressed in a hurry. Her shirt was half buttoned up over a plain strapless t-shirt, and she was wearing jeans. Her hair looked like she had just woken up and left without brushing it, which she probably had. She was clutching a handbag and coat tightly to herself. A cardigan was falling off her shoulder, and in her haste, she hadn't even fixed it.

"Mum? What are you doing here?" Remus asked, confused.

"I... you were hurt, Minerva came and told us, and your father... he upset her, but I needed to come... after last time... I..." she looked on the verge of tears, as she slowly came closer, uncertain if she was welcome there or not. Her words didn't make much sense, but Remus worked out what she was trying to say.

She stopped near the bed, not sure what to do. "Can I stay?" She whispered uncertainly, and Remus smiled at her. She let out a breath, before dropping her bag and a coat she was holding on the chair, and flinging herself into Remus' arms.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, clinging to her son. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back just as hard. "Your father, he isn't coming."

She didn't seem to be letting go, and he kept his arms around her, allowing himself to enjoy the first proper hug his mother had given him in years.

Finally, she moved back, and clasped his hands in hers, holding them tightly. "Minerva came over. She said someone used an Unforgivable on you, and she was going to say more, but your father asked her to leave, and I couldn't stay home, even though he told me I had to. I was concerned, but he said... and I didn't," she said, tears welling up again. "I didn't even get to find out what had happened. She could have been there to tell us you were dead, and he just threw her out without letting her speak. I felt sick, I couldn't stay away."

Tears streamed down her face. "What if you were dead, and thought that I hated you? I had to come and make sure you were okay, and that man... he wouldn't even allow me to know what happened to my little boy."

"How did you get away?" Remus asked quietly.

"It was simple really, he said if I leave, then not to come back. So I walked out of the living room. Next thing I know, I'm in the bedroom with this bag that you gave me for my birthday," she gestured to the large handbag on the chair. "The one with the charms on it. I threw everything I owned in there, jewellery, books, clothes... just everything I could get my hands on, and then I walked to the Floo before he even knew what hit him."

Remus reached up and pulled her cardigan down further. She winced as her arm was revealed, with bruises of handprints, where she had been grabbed.

"You left dad?" Remus whispered, anger welling up inside him at her arms. He pulled the cardigan back over the bruising.

"I'm sorry it took me so long," she whispered, hugging him again, which calmed him back down.

"Well, I'm not trying to change your mind about your decision, but I would like to introduce you to my boyfriend," Remus said, thinking that it was probably best to get out of the way. Better to let his mother know now, whilst she seemed happy to be around him.

Her eyes moved between James, Sirius and Frank, uncertain which boy her son was talking about, before Sirius stood up, moving next to Remus.

"You're looking after my boy?" She whispered, and he nodded. Her gaze moved down to the blood on his clothes.

"I might have seriously injured the boy who attacked him," Sirius admitted, and she gave him a wobbly smile, before she turned her gaze back to her son.

"Remus, I've tidied your room for years. Don't you think I've seen the magazines you've hidden in there?" She said, softly. "I've known for a year and a half almost."

Remus blushed as Sirius grinned. "Magazines, Remus?"

Remus wouldn't meet his amused gaze.

"I... well, as long as... Sirius Black?" She began, and Sirius nodded. "Yes, as long as Sirius makes you happy, that's what matters."

Remus smiled at her, one that she hadn't seen in years, and her arms went around him again.

"It's wonderful to see you happy," she murmured, almost to herself.

"What are you going to do now?" Remus asked his mother, as he hugged her back. He didn't quite understand what was going on, but his mother couldn't stop hugging him, and he was going to make the most of each and every one. Who knew when she might come to her senses and stop?

"I'll go stay with one of the girls from work," she said. "I know one has a spare room."

She realised her arms were still around him, and she tried to move away, but he grabbed her. "Don't move again," he begged, and she carefully put her arms back around him, and slowly leaned against him.

"Honestly, Mrs Lupin, your son isn't going to attack you, I suggest you stop taking so much care," Dorea snapped, and Hope blushed, leaning into her son, and letting him wrap his arms around her again, as they sat down on the bed.

Remus smiled, looking calmer than any calming draught could have made him.

It wasn't long before two Aurors arrived.

Remus and Hope went over to the other side of the Hospital Wing to talk, and Dorea followed, wanting to know why Sirius was covered in blood and how James had caught a Death Eater.

James, Frank and Sirius told Lily what had happened, and a few minutes later, Remus came back over to the group, wrapping himself in Sirius' arms again, as Sirius' lips met his cheek. "My mum and Mrs Potter have gone to view the memory. I chose not to view it again," he said. "I don't think I gave enough information when recounting it, I didn't want to talk about it, but they said that was fine, as I provided the memory."

**...oOo...**

It was an hour before everything was wrapped up and the Aurors left, with Peter Pettigrew and Antonin Dolohov. They took Remus' memory with them to show what had happened.

Hope had been extremely quiet when returning from the Headmasters office, after seeing the memory, as had Dorea. Both women were shocked by what they had seen, the fear in Remus' eyes, the twisted words the boys had both said to Remus, and the fury with which Sirius had attacked Dolohov.

Finally, Dumbledore came into the Hospital wing, looking tired. "You can all return to your dorms. Remus, if you wish, you can stay here –"

"No, I'd rather go to my dorm," he confirmed.

"I have had Mrs Pettigrew in, and shown her the memory too, where her son admitted to taking your possessions." Dumbledore held out a coin pouch. "She is extremely distraught over her son's actions, and apologises. She was appalled at finding her son is a Death Eater and has asked me to give you this, and says she knows that it's not going to make up for what happened to you, but the least she could do was give you this to make up for what Peter took from you."

Remus took the pouch. "Thank you," he said.

"It's extremely late now, I suggest you all go back to your dorms and sleep. You are also welcome to take the day off lessons to recover. Mr Lupin, should you or anyone else need someone to speak to, Poppy would be happy to arrange that for you. Also, Mr Pettigrew and Mr Dolohov won't be returning to Hogwarts." With that, Dumbledore left the Hospital Wing.

"Mrs Lupin, I have a spare room if you need it until you get yourself sorted," Dorea offered kindly.

Hope smiled at her. "Thank you, but I don't want to be an inconvenience," she replied.

"Don't be silly. You're trying to fix things between you and your son, but you're not comfortable with him, so I suspect he's a... has a condition, judging by your actions, and his father's attitude. I think if you stayed with me, I could help you work through that. I think with my help, you could offer your son the type of Mother-Son relationship that you both know he deserves," Dorea said.

Hope looked at Remus, who looked back nervously.

"Please, Mum," he said. If Dorea helped his mother, they could be like normal families.

"Okay," she agreed, and smiled at her son.

"Remus, I'll see you soon," she promised, giving him a kiss on the cheek before following Dorea from the room, clutching her belongings.

**...oOo...**

They walked back to the dorm in silence. It was extremely late, and they were all exhausted.

As they got to their staircases, Remus whispered a thanks to Frank, as Frank climbed the stairs to his own dorm, and then hugged Lily goodnight, as she returned to her own dorm. They headed into their room, and Remus went straight for the bathroom with his pyjamas. Dolohov had touched his face, and almost kissed him. Remus just felt like he needed to clean himself after what had happened. He tried not to take too long, as he hated being out of Sirius' comforting arms for longer than necessary.

Sirius waited until the door closed, and he turned to look at James.

"Me and Lily were going to spend some time in the Common Room," James said. "I think I'll be gone for about an hour, maybe two at the most, since we don't have classes tomorrow. Make sure he's alright."

Sirius nodded, as James left the room, and he headed over to his trunk and unlocked it. He pulled out his Honeydukes stash, and grabbed the two biggest chocolate bars in there. Hopefully this would help Remus.

Sirius wasn't going to let Remus out of his sight again. He would think of a way that Remus could let him know he was in trouble next time. There had to be something. He'd speak to James in the morning, but for now, he was going to make Remus feel better, and show him he was safe.

Sirius opened the two bars, breaking them into pieces, and retrieved a calming draught from James' bedside table. Between them, they had all manner of potions. He wouldn't allow himself to think too much about what could have happened to Remus, had he not been there. Remus most likely would have been saved by McGonagall, but what if he hadn't been?

He shook his head. He couldn't start thinking about that. Remus needed him to be strong, but that was the problem. Remus was his weakness. If something had happened to Remus, it would have destroyed him too. He needed to protect him.

Remus came out of the bathroom and looked towards his bed where Sirius was sitting, waiting for him. "Sirius," Remus whispered, smiling at the dark-haired boy, who returned the smile. He walked over, his eyes captivated by the silver in Sirius', and stopped next to the bed.

Sirius held out a small vial containing a calming draught, which Remus took and drank. He set the vial on the bedside table, and followed Sirius' gaze to the bed sheets which had broken up chocolate on it.

"Is that chocolate and caramel?" Remus asked, licking his lips. Sirius nodded, pulling Remus down onto the bed next to him, and pressing their lips together.

"It'll make you feel a bit better," he said, picking up a bit and pressing it to Remus' lips, and Remus opened his mouth obediently, allowing Sirius to feed him a piece before feeding some to Sirius.

Slowly, they worked their way through the chocolate, Sirius making sure that Remus had most of the pieces, and when they were done, Sirius told Remus to lay down, before he went over to his own bed, and quickly changed into his pyjamas.

Remus couldn't help but watch as Sirius stripped down, his back to Remus. He took in the hard muscles, and firm arse, and felt himself unable to drag his gaze away. Sirius was bloody perfect. He was just glad that Sirius had left his boxers on. Sirius pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and top before returning to Remus' bed, blushing as Remus' heated gaze followed him.

"I'm sorry I never noticed what was happening, and I'm so sorry that I made you feel like you had to keep my secret, and endure all that," Sirius said, as he pulled Remus' covers back, and climbed into the bed.

"It's not your fault. I should have come to you," Remus said. "I was just so scared that I'd lose you."

"You won't," Sirius promised.

He pulled Remus close, and Remus pulled the covers over them. After a few minutes, he moved and let his eyes meet Remus' again, and he could see that Remus was going over everything that had happened with Pettigrew and Dolohov.

Sirius wanted to distract him, to make him happy and make him forget, even if it was only for tonight. He brought his lips to Remus', and kissed him gently. As the kisses became needier, Sirius felt a tongue gently brush his lip, before retreating. He smiled into the kiss, as he brought his own tongue to Remus' soft lips, begging for Remus to open his mouth.

Remus didn't hesitate, pulling Sirius closer, as he allowed him entrance.

Sirius' tongue gently moved into Remus' mouth, teasing him, trying to get Remus to use his own, and after a few minutes of him exploring Remus' mouth, he felt Remus' tongue gently stroke against his own, and he let out a slight moan, as his hands moved into Remus' soft hair, which he could never run his fingers through enough.

When the door opened, they pulled apart, and saw James come in, his hand over his eyes.

"Is it safe to look?" he asked, and Lily sighed from behind him.

"Don't over-exaggerate, James," she said. "It's just snogging. We all do it."

He spun around.

"Who have you snogged?" He demanded.

"That's none of your concern," she replied, frowning at him.

James glared at her in return.

"You know, I'm just going to return to my own dorm. I'm tired, I've spent the day being pushed down the stairs and ended up with a broken ankle, and then I find out that my best friend was a victim of an attempted sexual assault. I've come up here to see that Remus is fine, and he seems in a pretty good mood, and I don't blame him, snogging can really bring someone's mood up, but I'll talk to him tomorrow instead. Goodnight."

She turned to storm out, but his hands wrapped around her waist.

"I'm sorry," James mumbled. "I just don't like the thought of anyone kissing you that isn't me."

"Well, we won't be doing any kissing if you're going to get jealous of guys I've dated before you," she said.

"I won't, as long as you don't kiss anyone else again. Wait, does that mean we're dating?"

She turned and walked over to where Remus and Sirius were sitting up, and gave them both a kiss on the cheek, raising her eyebrow at James.

"I can kiss who I like," she said.

"They don't count, they don't get off on your kissing them," James said, causing Lily to laugh.

"Come on, let's go to sleep," he added, winking at his friends as he led Lily over to his bed.

Lily and James shut his curtains, and Remus shifted closer to Sirius again, feeling safer than he had in weeks. The fear that Sirius would leave him, or would blame him seemed stupid now that he really thought about it. After all, Sirius had been attacked by him in his Werewolf form, and still wanted to be with him, so why would he break up with Remus over something like this?

He felt a hand on his face, tilting it, and Sirius' lips meeting his again, drawing his attention away from his thoughts. Sirius wasn't mad at him. Sirius had saved him from Dolohov. Remus hadn't been lying when he said that he was Sirius'. He would do anything for Sirius, except cheat on him. He drew the line at that.

"Remus, I can't wait until we leave here," Sirius whispered. "When we get a place with James, and most likely Lily now, we could share a room so we never have to spend more than one night a month apart."

"Share?" Remus said, loving the sound of that word. Sharing a room with Sirius, as a couple. Him and Sirius, together. He couldn't remove the shocked look from his face.

"I'm not trying to rush you into anything, I just want to have you in my arms every night," Sirius whispered. "That's never going to change, no matter what happens, we'll be together."

"No matter what?" Remus asked, and Sirius smiled.

"Unless you left me, because I'm certainly not planning on leaving you," he whispered, bringing his lips to Remus' neck, gently trailing kisses down it, paying extra attention to Remus' collar-bone.

Remus let out an almost inaudible moan, as Sirius bit him softly, before pulling Sirius' face back to his. He allowed their lips to move together until neither boy could keep their eyes open properly. Sirius wound his arms around him, and pulled him close, settling down to sleep. Sirius didn't seem to mind that Remus clung to him a bit harder, and Remus fell asleep, able to distract himself by remembering Sirius' lips on his, rather than the panic that had built up inside him earlier.


	19. Chapter 19

When Sirius woke up the next morning, it was because Remus was clinging to him. His hands were clutching Sirius tight enough to leave marks, and Sirius knew it was because of the events of the night before. He gently moved Remus' hands away, and shifted himself into a more comfortable position, before pulling Remus close to him again, holding his boyfriend tightly, hoping to offer some comfort.

He watched the blonde haired boy stir from his sleep, and his hand gently stroked through Remus' hair. Remus jumped, sitting up fast. Sirius grabbed him and pulled him back, holding him tightly as he calmed down.

"Sorry, I'm so sor-"

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Sirius said, his lips gently brushing against Remus' cheek. "I'm the one that should be sorry, for not noticing what was happening sooner, and for making you think my secret is more important to me. You're so much more important to me. I don't care if people find out I'm gay, because it means the world knows that I have the best looking and most amazing guy ever as my boyfriend."

Remus blushed. "I think people would be more jealous of the fact that I somehow managed to get you," he replied, wondering how he'd gotten so lucky.

"Nope, I was right the first time," Sirius replied, with a smile. "I'm the lucky one here."

"So I was thinking," Remus said. "Everyone already thinks I'm gay, so I was thinking I might as well just tell them. It'll make my life easier."

"Are you serious about that?" Sirius asked.

"I believe it's you that's Sirius," Remus teased, a small smile on his lips.

Sirius let out a groan. "That was terrible," he said. "I think I deserve a kiss after having to hear that bad joke." He pulled Remus towards him.

"But you make that joke all the time," James said from the next bed.

"I do, and Remus can demand kisses from me anytime I say it," Sirius said, pulling away from Remus' lips.

"Are you joking?" Came Lily's amused voice.

"Nope, I'm Sirius," he said, smirking at Remus, who tapped his lips, causing Sirius to lean in closer and kiss him. "This joke will never get old if I get to kiss you every time I make it," Sirius said, once they pulled apart.

"Like I need a reason to demand a kiss," Remus responded. "So, do you think I should just come out and tell someone if they ask?"

"Where's the fun in that? You need to make a big announcement. Let everyone know at once," Sirius said.

"I'll think about how to do it. Now, is it almost breakfast time?" Remus asked, trying to get his body closer to Sirius.

"Still pretty early, guess you have to spend more time with me," Sirius whispered. He brought his lips to Remus' again. "So, any thoughts about our own place?"

Remus shook his head. "Not really, as long as I have my books and you, I'll be happy."

"And somewhere to keep your chocolate," Sirius added, and Remus grinned.

"Of course."

"I do warn you, I sleep naked," Sirius said, his voice getting lower.

"So do I," Remus replied. There was a silence, as Remus found himself imagining Sirius naked in their bed, their bodies pressed together and -

Lily started laughing, and Remus jumped out of his thoughts.

"I think Lily just saw James naked, I think any girl would laugh at seeing that tiny -" Sirius started.

"Oi, it's not tiny. Lily, trust me, it's not."

"Sure, Potter," she replied, sounding amused.

"So, we were discussing how you like to sleep naked?" Sirius prompted, lowering his voice again, and Remus grinned at him.

"Yeah, I don't do it at Hogwarts, but in my own place, I would."

"In our own place, you mean?" Sirius asked, hopefully.

Remus nodded, and leaned in towards Sirius, his mouth finding Sirius' neck, and tracing it with his lips and tongue. He nibbled on Sirius' collarbone, as Sirius' hand slid down to his hip. Remus moved his mouth back up, ignoring Sirius' mouth, instead following his jaw, and kissing his ear. He felt Sirius' grip tighten. "Tease," Sirius mumbled, and Remus suddenly found himself on his back, with Sirius' lips on his own, kissing him deeply.

Sirius felt fingers move across his chest under his t-shirt. The warm fingers traced a path across his back, down his spine, before lightly moving up his sides and stroking over his arms, exploring him. Each place Remus' fingers had touched was tingling slightly, and Sirius had to pull away before his fingers touched Remus, knowing that the touches wouldn't be as innocent.

They lay in silence for a few minutes. "You know, I could certainly get used to this - falling asleep with you, waking up with you, and just laying in bed kissing you," Remus admitted.

"You better get used to it," Sirius replied. "Because from now on this is our bed. I only plan to sleep alone one night each month, the rest of the time I hope you'll be in here with me." Remus nodded, and watched Sirius smile, before Sirius got up from the bed and headed into the bathroom to take a shower.

As Sirius washed, he started to think about what had happened the previous evening. There was one solution to stopping Remus getting hurt again. The same one he'd come up with the day before.

He was going to tell everyone his secret.

Sirius didn't want to hide it anymore. He had told Remus that he wanted to choose when to share it, and he was choosing today for everyone to know. The more he thought about it, the more excited he got. The thought of being able to show off his relationship, and kiss Remus no matter who was around, was a wonderful thought. Remus had planned to tell too, so they could do this together.

Plus, he wanted Remus to realise how important he truly was. This would show Remus that he was so much more important than Sirius' secret. He was starting to understand how Remus' mind worked, and he didn't like it. He didn't like that Remus didn't see how amazing he was, or that Remus worried that Sirius would leave him. Remus needed to understand that Sirius wasn't going anywhere.

He finished in the shower, and waited for Remus to go in for his before he left. After Remus shut the door, Sirius drew his mind away from the thoughts of Remus wet and naked in the shower, and instead towards the issue. He explained to James that he wanted to come out and that he didn't want to put it off.

They quickly came up with a great plan. It was spells they had used before for a prank, so it wouldn't take long to set up. But if they wanted it to happen that morning, they would need to be first in the Hall.

Sirius shouted through the bathroom door that he was leaving for breakfast with James, as they had something to sort out, and that Lily would be waiting in the Common Room for him. She headed to her own dorm, aware of how long to delay Remus for, took her own shower, and started getting her stuff together for the day.

**...oOo...**

Remus and Lily walked into the Great Hall, which was full of students. Remus was starving, but Lily seemed to be running behind that morning, causing them to be late. Remus hoped that Sirius and James had saved them both seats. There seemed to be something going on, as there was a lot of whispers and staring, and Remus wondered if everyone knew about the night before.

He thought it was unlikely, as Sirius would have come back to the dorms to warn him. He felt Lily tug at his arm, and they started towards the table, until Lily tapped Remus and pointed upwards.

There above their heads, was the enchanted ceiling, but there was something wrong. It wasn't showing the sky, it was showing the night, with stars shining. The stars weren't in order, they were spelling out two words, and Remus quickly realised why everyone was staring at him.

_'Remus Lupin.'_

"Why do the stars say my name?" He asked Lily, as he looked around. He noticed that the entire hall of students were staring openly at him now, as though he was about to unveil the mystery. His gaze moved to Sirius, who winked at him, and he relaxed slightly. This was something of Sirius' device, and possibly the reason why Sirius and James had rushed out of the dorms. But what did it have to do with him? What was going to happen next?

Suddenly, the words 'fun' and 'big announcement' came to mind. "Let everyone know at once," he repeated to himself, remembering Sirius saying it earlier that morning. There was a part of him that wanted to stop the newest enchantment on the ceiling, but the rest of him knew that Sirius wouldn't announce Remus' secret like that. He would have asked first. Remus trusted Sirius.

Even the Professors were curious. Most of them had noticed Sirius and James had been the first into the Great Hall, and were whispering suspiciously to each other. They had been ready to intervene once the ceiling was noticed, but Albus had told them to allow it; as long as it didn't harm anyone, he would allow this to play out. After the Professors had settled down, he had shared a look with Professor McGonagall, as he patted his coin purse. Minerva had been certain that their relationship would be announced in a spectacular fashion, and this certainly seemed to be turning into one.

Albus knew he had to stop betting against Minerva. He had already lost a fortune to her when it came to those four. Maybe she was right and she did know the Gryffindors better than he did.

Remus' eyed darted back to the stars, and Sirius gave a discreet flick of his wand to start up the rest.

"Look, there's more," someone exclaimed, as more stars started to randomly twinkle across the ceiling, and it wasn't long before letters started forming. Remus held his breath as he watched the words appear.

_'Remus Lupin._

_I want the world to know about us. I want to walk the halls holding your hand, and being able to kiss you whenever I want. I want to be able to walk into the Christmas Ball with you as my date, your arm in mine, and spend the night dancing with you, without caring who is watching us._

_I'm ready to tell if you are. I'd do anything for you._

_I love you.'_

There was a long pause as Remus stared at the words. The hall was silent, waiting for Remus' reaction, and to find out who Remus was dating. His eyes flickered towards Michelle, and she was glaring at the words. He caught whispers around the room, catching words like "romantic", and "sweet", and another girl close to where he was standing was telling her friend that it would be amazing to have a love declaration written with stars.

It wasn't just about Remus telling everyone. Sirius was going to tell too. They were going to do this together. They would get to be a real couple, and they wouldn't need to hide away as though they were doing something wrong.

Sirius was doing this for him.

Sirius Black was in love with him, and had declared it on the ceiling of the Great Hall.

As he read the words a fourth time, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Lily leaned in to whisper in his ear.

"Don't leave him waiting too long for an answer, he really would do anything for you. Coming out, that's to prove to you how serious he is about you - how important you are to him. You wanted to come out next time someone asked you, he thought you both could do it together, and announce your relationship at the same time, get all three shocks over with in one go. No more hiding from everyone that he loves you. Now get over there, tell him you love him and snog him, show everyone that he's yours. Screw what they all think, it's about you and Sirius."

Remus' lips curved up into a wide smile. He suddenly didn't care in the slightest what anyone else thought. Anyone who had an issue with it could go jump off the Astronomy Tower. He glanced in Sirius' direction, where Sirius was looking back. He was perched on the table facing Remus, his eyes full of hope, watching Remus' reaction, and hoping Remus wanted to announce their relationship as badly as he wanted to.

"I love you, too," Remus said loudly, a blush spreading across his face, knowing he was the focus of everyone's attention. "And yes, I'm ready to let everyone know, although you didn't need to go through all this trouble, a good snog would have worked too." He walked towards the table as he said those words, following Lily. His eyes darted to where Alice was digging through her bag. She withdrew her camera, almost shaking in excitement. What a moment to record, all the disappointed or angry faces looking on as he snogged Sirius Black.

He couldn't believe he was about to snog his boyfriend in front of the whole school, including the Professors. Remus walked closer to the pure-blood, and quickly slipped between his legs.

"Snogging was next on my list," Sirius said, before Remus' lips met his, and he gently kissed the Werewolf, one hand moving from the table, to twist into Remus' soft hair, the other pulling Remus closer. Remus' hands were planted on the table, holding himself steady. He forgot about all the students watching, only being able to focus on Sirius.

Sirius' arms were pulling him even closer, and finally James cleared his throat.

"If you're hungry, I suggest eating breakfast, not each other's faces," James said, with a grin.

There wasn't a sound in the Great Hall as almost everyone stared in shock.

Sirius' eyes sought out Michelle, and he shot her his most smug smile, and she glared back, radiating the hate she felt for him. She could hate him all she wanted, because he was happy with Remus, and he would never ever give Remus Lupin up. His eyes moved to Benjy, who shrugged and grinned at him in return. He grinned back. He couldn't really blame Benjy for wanting Remus... Remus was perfect after all, as long as Benjy didn't try it again, there would be no problems.

Remus just grinned shyly at Sirius, blushing at the attention from around the Hall, and Sirius got off the table, sliding into one of the empty seats, pulling Remus down next to him. Sirius' arm slipped around his waist.

Remus tried to ignore the hateful stares coming from the Slytherin table, and Regulus Black's look of shock. Not hate, just shock. Alice congratulated them, saying how cute they were together, and a few other voices around the table added their comments. Even the ones they didn't know.

Soon the noise around the hall started up again, and Sirius and Remus ate breakfast together, not having to hide their relationship. Remus bravely took Sirius' hand as they walked from the Hall, and Sirius' fingers tightened in his.

Dumbledore took out his coin purse and passed five Galleons to the Head of Gryffindor House.

"Albus, how about a small wager? Ten Galleons says that Mr Black and Mr Lupin -"

"I'm sorry, Minerva, but I believe it's unwise to bet against you again," he replied, with a smile.

**...oOo...**

Christmas soon came, and they all headed to the Potters to stay for the holidays. Charlus had come to collect the four of them from the station in a car he had borrowed, and they had managed to make it back to the Potter's home in one piece.

Trunks were quickly deposited into the bedrooms, as they had run late, Charlus struggling to find his way home again, and dinner was already waiting. Sirius was delighted to find that Remus now had a designated room at the house, with only a bathroom to separate them. The bathroom that was his en-suite now had a door on the other side, leading to Remus' rooms. He could sneak into Remus' room at night without having to go out into the hallway.

They headed downstairs, holding hands, and James and Lily followed behind. As they walked into the dining room, his face lit up. There sitting next to Dorea, deep in conversation, was his mother.

Hope felt his eyes on her, and looked towards the doorway. Her face lit up in a way he hadn't seen since he was a child, and within seconds, her arms were wrapped around him.

"Remus," she said, finally letting go. "I'm looking forward to us spending Christmas together."

"Me too," he replied, softly. She moved away, and Sirius gave her a hug.

"Lovely to see you again, Mrs Lupin, you're looking well," he said, with a grin.

"Thank you, dear. You can call me Hope, of course."

She moved to greet Lily and James, as Remus and Sirius moved forwards to greet Dorea, who gave them both a hug in greeting.

They all sat down at the table, and the bowls started getting passed around, everyone serving food up for themselves before passing the bowl to the person on their left. The food was better than at Hogwarts, and Remus was stuffed after he'd finished his second helping of dinner.

"Dessert," Dorea announced, with a smile, and on each of their plates, an individual desert appeared. Remus looked down at the Chocolate fudge cake with a scoop of ice-cream and realised that there was still some space in his stomach after all.

Once they had finished, Hope thanked Dorea and Charlus for dinner and their invitation to visit over the holidays. Remus and Lily echoed the thanks and Dorea looked delighted with the company. Within minutes, she was chatting to Lily, and Remus leaned towards his mother.

"So, what's been happening?" he asked, curiously.

"Well, I've seen your father, he's sold the house, and the gold has been split between us, as has the gold in the joint vault. I've got myself a small house which is just down the road from here. It's got two bedrooms, but the second room is a box room. Charlus has offered to put some extension charms on the other room so you can come and stay... so you and Sirius can come and stay sometimes," she said. "Also, the divorce has come through. Magical divorces are quick events, it seems. I also have a job."

Remus smiled. "What is it?"

"I work as a receptionist at a firm a couple of miles away. It's only a bus away, and it's really nice there. The people are so friendly, and it turns out I'm a natural on the phone."

"That's great," Remus replied enthusiastically. He was enjoying seeing his mother so happy. He had never realised how unhappy she had been before, just putting down everything to the fact that her son was a Werewolf, but now he realised there had been so much more than that.

"In fact, they are having a Christmas Party tomorrow night, and I was given two tickets. I bought a third just in case you and Sirius..." She looked uncertain. "You don't have to, of course, but I was hoping that we could go together?"

"So, they'd be okay with your gay son there?" Remus asked uncertainly.

"My manager will, he's bringing his boyfriend too," Hope said. "No one is stupid enough to be homophobic there, because no one would want to get on his bad side."

Remus looked at Sirius, who smiled and nodded, and grinned at his mum. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll need to get a suit."

"We'll go out in the morning and find you something," she replied, smiling brightly at her son.

"What are you wearing?" Lily asked.

"I have a nice blue dress with a black -"

"No," Remus said. "That's dad's favourite dress. It's going in the bin, and we'll get you something tomorrow."

**...oOo...**

The next morning, the three of them headed into Muggle London. Hope led them around the shops, ignoring anyone staring at her son holding another boy's hand. She was done keeping her head down; now, she would support everything about him. Dorea had told her that their relationship could be salvaged, because Remus was happy to forgive her, but she should still work to prove herself to him because he deserved the effort.

The boys stood back as Hope looked through a rack of dresses, frowning at the selection.

"Mum, how formal is tonight?"

"It's in a hotel," she replied. "I think it's quite formal."

Sirius smiled. "You're looking at the wrong dresses, then," he said, taking her arm and leading her across the shop. He stopped in a section for younger women. "No offence, Hope, but those clothes are for old women, and you certainly aren't old. You need to dress younger."

He picked up a black lace cocktail dress off one of the racks.

"This. This is more what you should be wearing."

"Mum, he's right. You dress how dad liked you to dress, you've got to find your own style now. You need to clear out your wardrobe and pick your own things."

"Well, not today, we don't have time," she said.

Sirius grabbed a handful of clothes from around the section, placing them all into the basket. "We have lots of time. It's still early, we have time for you to try these on, and hit another couple of shops before lunchtime, and then more time after lunch before we go back and get ready."

Hope picked up a green shirt and a black skirt from the basket, and looked at Remus uncertainly.

"Work clothes," Sirius said. "Just at least try them on. If you don't like them, then don't get them, just see how different you could look."

Remus nodded in agreement, and Hope agreed to try them on. Ten minutes later, she was in the changing room and staring at herself in the mirror in shock. She usually went for a bigger size, she liked her clothes baggy, less revealing.

No, that wasn't right. Lyall liked her wearing less revealing clothes, and Hope just accepted what he wanted... but now, now she was picking this for herself. She looked at herself in the mirror, in the first outfit she had tried, which was the shirt and skirt.

But in something that fit her this well, she looked like someone else.

"Mum, let's see?" Came a voice from outside the changing room.

"Yeah, mum, show us," Sirius joined in, and she stepped out from the changing room in the clothes, and looked at the boys uncertainly.

They both looked just as shocked as she was for a few moments.

"You know you look so much younger in that," Sirius said. "In fact, you should dress like that more often."

Hope smiled at him, and looked at Remus.

"You look really nice mum, better than what dad liked you to wear. I have to admit that Sirius really knows ladies fashion... I'm quite curious about that, but that's a conversation for another day."

Hope ended up leaving the shop with everything the boys had helped her choose, and a few pairs of shoes. Sirius had promised to take her out again before the holidays ended, and help her find more clothes.

He didn't appreciate when Remus called it a girls' day out shopping, and suggested they take Lily.

They found a shop to buy Remus a suit, and Sirius got himself a new one too. He spent a while choosing a tie, finally finding one that Remus said matched his eyes, then dragged them back around the shops trying to find one to match Remus' eyes too.

Finally, Remus dragged his mum into the hairdressers despite her protests.

"I cut my hair a few weeks ago, and -"

"And it's your Christmas party, so you're going to look your best."

"Not this one, I'm too old for -"

"Shush," Remus said, as he dug into the bag with her dress for that evening. He pulled it out just as Sirius found a hairstyle in the magazine that was on the table. He brought it over to show Remus, and the pair of them showed the hairdresser both the dress and the hairstyle. After a moment, the girl nodded, and Sirius handed her the book, and they all turned to look at Hope.

Hope looked at the three of them. "Fine, whatever they showed you is fine," she said, running her hands through her long hair. "But it better look nice, Remus, Sirius, because you think Remus has a certain day where he's tough to be around, you haven't seen me when I'm angry."

The hairdresser went to set up her station.

"Mum, did you just try to make a Werewolf joke?"

Her eyes widened. "Oh, darling, I'm so sorry. That was really insensitive of me -"

"No, it's fine. It's more than fine actually. It just means that it doesn't bother you as much as it did."

They smiled at each other.

"Now, go get your hair done," Remus insisted, and Hope went to the hair washing station. As she sat down, she watched Remus and Sirius take their seats in the waiting area, Remus' head leaning against Sirius' shoulder and she saw how happy he was.

She was the cause of him being unhappy, but that was the old her. This new Hope, this new woman who was strong enough to get out of Lyall's controlling grasp - she would be an excellent mother. She would make up for how the old Hope acted, how the old Hope made her son feel. She would show Remus how special he was and do her best to protect him, because she had done a terrible job of it in the past.

Over an hour later, her chair was turned around, and she was shown her new style in the mirror. She let out a gasp. Her long hair, that usually passed her shoulders, was now in a bob that was a couple of inches past her jaw, and the hairstyle took years off her.

She looked like the kind of woman who wore clothes like the items Sirius had picked up in the shop, and she didn't feel quite so worried about the dress she was due to wear.

Now all she needed was some new makeup. Maybe she could even get away with a pink or red lipstick, instead of the browns and neutral colours she had worn for the last few years.

**...oOo...**

"The next time we buy suits, it'll be at our wedding," Sirius mumbled, coming up behind Remus, and placing his lips on the blonde's neck.

"Is this your idea of a proposal, because it's terrible," Remus replied, pretending that Sirius' lips weren't affecting him.

"What's so terrible about it?" Sirius asked, his hands wrapping around Remus' waist, and he looked at their reflection in the mirror in Lily's room, ignoring Lily and James lounging on the bed, waiting for them to leave.

"Well, for a start you haven't got down on one knee," Remus teased.

"You dirty Werewolf," he exclaimed, in a tone that was just too delighted by what he had heard. "You just want me on my knees, don't you?" Sirius pressed tighter against Remus, and nibbled gently on his ear. "Well, just so you know, I would love to be on my knees - for you," he added, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"I'm still in the room," Lily pointed out from her spot on the bed. "You have your own rooms for all that business."

"We have a party to get to, actually," Remus said, trying to banish the thought of Sirius on his knees from his mind. The way Sirius was kissing his neck was making it very difficult though.

He turned and fixed Sirius' tie, before kissing him, and leading him out.

"Hope you don't miss me too much, James, you'll have to make do with Lily, and I know she's not as much fun as -" Sirius began.

Remus' lips were on his again, making him forget what he was saying, and they headed downstairs to wait for Hope to go to the party.

**...oOo...**

"Hope?" a man said uncertainly, coming closer to the trio that just walked through the door.

"Andrew," Hope replied, blushing.

He lifted her hand to his lips, before smiling at Sirius and Remus. Sirius grinned and nudged Remus, nodding to Hope, who was smiling in a way that was almost identical to the way Remus smiled at Sirius.

"You smile at me like that," he whispered.

"Boys, this is my boss' son, Andrew," she said, gesturing to the man who looked to be a few years older than herself. "Andrew, this is my son, Remus, and his boyfriend, Sirius Black."

Andrew smiled and shook their hands.

"Wait, I thought you said your boss was like us?" Sirius asked.

"My fathers asked a friend to give them a baby. Aunty Evelyn. She has her own family, but I still feel part of both," Andrew explained.

"Do you think Lily would do that for us one day?" Sirius asked, and Remus shook his head. "Wait 'til they've had their own baby before even considering asking," Remus said, taking Sirius' hand.

"Children, but you're too young... oh dear, I'm too young to be a grandmother," Hope said, in a panic.

"Don't worry, Mum, Sirius isn't being serious," Remus said. "Uh, I mean Sirius isn't thinking clearly. We've got a few years at least before we even start considering that to be an option."

She looked relieved.

"So, have you boys been together long?" Andrew asked.

"Dating, no, but I've liked Remus for a long time, plus, I've known him since I was eleven. We go to boarding school together, and share a dorm."

Andrew nodded, and his eyes darted back to Hope again, and Remus and Sirius grinned at each other. "Well, I best find my fathers. I just wanted to say that you look wonderful, Hope, and that your husband is a very lucky man. It was very nice to meet you boys."

He walked away.

"Wait, does he think you're still married?" Remus asked, turning back to his mum.

Hope nodded, her eyes still on Andrew as he approached two men that Remus and Sirius assumed to be his fathers. "I haven't had a chance to file the paperwork yet," she explained.

Hope walked the boys around, introducing them to other people in her company, and once she was safely in conversation with another woman, Sirius and Remus saw Andrew at the bar, getting drinks. They joined and ordered their own.

"My mum's divorced," Remus said softly. "Dad didn't treat us very well. So, if she were to meet someone, I'd expect them to treat her much better."

"Divorced, she never said," Andrew replied, turning to the two boys.

"It's recent," Remus explained.

Andrew wanted to ask what had happened, but he hesitated. It was too personal to ask someone who he didn't know.

"Remus was attacked at school after being blackmailed," Sirius began, noticing the hesitation to ask about it. "It was about our relationship which Remus' parents didn't know about at the time. It was all pretty bad and the Professors... contacted Hope and Lyall. Lyall didn't care, and when Hope wanted to come and make sure Remus was alright, she was told to choose between Remus and Lyall, and she chose Remus."

"So, there's no chance that she still wants to be with him?" Andrew blurted out, sounding hopeful. His hand clapped over his mouth. "My apologies, I shouldn't ask -"

"No chance at all," Remus interrupted. "She won't go back to him, and I just want her to be happy. It would be nice to see her truly happy for once, smiling, dancing..." Remus trailed off. "She hasn't been happy for a long time."

"Does she like to dance?"

"I remember we used to dance when I was little," Remus said. "Before my father was cruel. I hope that when she meets someone, he'll treat her like she deserves to be treated... Well, it was nice talking to you, Andrew."

"You too, Remus, Sirius," he replied, his gaze shifting back to Hope, and Remus and Sirius walked away, hoping that with this new knowledge, Andrew made an effort to spend more time with Hope.

A few minutes later, the boys saw him approach her. Soon after, they were up dancing.

Sirius bowed to Remus, before leading him onto the dance floor to join the other couples.


	20. Chapter 20

Remus lay in bed the next morning thinking about everything that had happened the night before. Everything Sirius had said. Hearing the mention of marriage and children, even if it had been in passing, made it all the more real for him. He hadn't been able to stop smiling.

Sirius looked at him and saw these things in their future, and Remus saw the same. There had never been anyone else for him but Sirius Black, even before their relationship, both him and wolf agreed that he was perfect. Not that he ever thought he would have a chance. But now he was with Sirius, there would never be anyone else.

He wanted to claim Sirius as his, to sink his teeth into that perfect, smooth, aristocratic neck and leave a mark that would tell everyone that Sirius was his mate. He pushed down the urge, telling the wolf that it wasn't the right time. Telling it that Sirius hadn't agreed, and that they were still in Hogwarts, and he wanted to wait until they left. The wolf seemed hesitant at what Remus was thinking, but it finally agreed with him, realising that a mark on Sirius' neck that never went away could reveal their secret, and Remus would have to leave Hogwarts, and be away from Sirius. Neither Remus or Moony wanted that.

As he snuggled further under the covers, he heard a door shut, and realised it was the bathroom door. Sirius must have gone into the bathroom. A minute later, he heard the sound of water running. Immediately, Remus' brain was flooded with visions of a wet, naked, Sirius Black, water dripping from his hair, and running down his body. His hands rubbing body wash all over that amazing chest, down those rock hard arms, over that firm arse. Not that he'd ever seen his arse, but Sirius wore nice tight jeans, so Remus could only imagine.

He pictured Sirius rubbing soap into his more intimate areas, and he felt the blood rush through his body, and he wondered if he would ever be brave enough to just go for it and show Sirius he wanted more. He knew that Sirius was allowing Remus to set the pace, he could see that Sirius wanted more every time Sirius pulled away from one of their intense snogging sessions.

'What's stopping you?' the voice inside his head asked. 'He wants you, you want him. Just go in there.'

Remus wasn't aware of getting out of bed, and opening the bathroom door, or even closing it behind him, but he suddenly realised he was in the bathroom, and if he turned his head, he would see a very naked Sirius Black. The good thing to do would be to keep his head down, and not look to his left.

He lifted his head, and turned to his left.

He wasn't quite sure what to do. He was invading Sirius' privacy, Sirius might be really angry at him, but his eyes examined the body under the spray, the soaked black hair plastered to his back, the water trickling down his body, washing the soap away, and Sirius' hand wrapped around a large erection. Should he leave? Sirius was clearly preoccupied, and he shouldn't be watching, not matter how amazing the sight was.

His gaze certainly shouldn't be lingering on Sirius' hand, which was moving at a slow pace, and what his hand contained. He really shouldn't be letting himself get hard at the sight in front of him.

He reached for the door, opening it to leave, mentally scolding himself. He'd sort himself out in his bedroom, because there was no way this erection would disappear. He froze when he heard a low moan, and his name.

"Remus," came another moan, and he saw the hand speed up, and he pushed the door closed again. He wasn't able to leave now, Sirius was saying his name. Sirius was thinking about him when touching himself. All arguments in his head over what he should do were gone, and his mind was blank. All he could do was focus on the man in the shower.

"Oh fuck, Remus," Sirius groaned, and Remus just stared at him. He wanted to commit this moment to memory. He wanted to be able to close his eyes and see Sirius like this.

Before he even realised what he was doing, his t-shirt was thrown on the floor, and he stepped out of his trousers and boxers. He moved closer, stepping under the spray of the water, his eyes fixed on Sirius. The pure-blood was leaning back against the wall, stroking himself, and Remus' name was pouring from his lips like a mantra. Sirius' hand was stroking fast, and Remus couldn't tear his eyes away.

Remus wanted to touch himself as he watched, but he thought that would be too wrong if Sirius didn't know he was there... or maybe he could replace Sirius' hand with his own, he would love to cause Sirius to cum.

He moved closer, pushing his hair from his face, so the water wouldn't stick it there, and reached for Sirius. His hand gently resting on Sirius' arm, and the silver eyes shot open to meet his, filled with shock.

"Remus?" the hand slowed, but not quite stopping.

"Don't stop," Remus murmured, holding back an apology for joining him. "I couldn't stop myself coming in. I tried to leave, but you said my name."

Sirius' eyes trailed over Remus' body, greedily taking him in. "I always think of you when I do this," he admitted. "Do you... think of me?" His eyes locked onto Remus' erection.

"Every time," Remus admitted. "Do you want me to stay?"

Sirius stared at him for a minute, before his shocked expression was replaced by a smirk. Remus felt hands grab his, quickly spinning them both around, and pinning his hands above his head against the wall where Sirius had just been leaning.

"You naughty Werewolf, watching me wank off in the shower," Sirius murmured, his eyes moving down Remus' body again, where the water was starting to run over it. Sirius' tongue caught one drop on his shoulder, before pulling back again.

Remus let out a slight moan. He wanted more, and he tried to push towards Sirius, but his arms were held in a tight grip. Remus felt his hard erection hit Sirius' and the Pure-Blood's eyes widened.

"You told me how you couldn't leave, but you never said why you here? Please tell me you came in here so I could touch you?" Sirius begged, his voice just whisper now, at the possibility of what could happen. "If I can't, can I watch you touch yourself?"

Remus nodded his head. All he could think about was Sirius touching him.

"No sex... just do whatever else you want to me. I'm yours."

Sirius let out a slight moan at the words, and before Remus knew it, Sirius' body was covering his, their lengths pressed between their bodies. Sirius' lips met his, kissing him tenderly before pulling back. Remus couldn't think straight, just feeling Sirius' bare skin on his own, so intimately, made it hard to breath. He wondered for a moment why he said no sex, as at that moment he was willing to do anything for Sirius.

A few seconds passed, where Sirius just watched him, and Remus was close to begging for his touch. Sirius gave an experimental twist of his hips, and Remus hadn't expected the pleasure to shoot through him in such a way. He let out a whimper, and his head fell onto Sirius' shoulder. He realised that Sirius felt just as good, as there was a bit more confidence in his next thrust, and with each touch, Sirius got more and more sure of himself until he found a pace that was driving them crazy.

Remus managed to get his head off Sirius' shoulder and before he could even speak, wet lips were on his, and he could feel the water dripping from Sirius' face onto his own, as a tongue explored his mouth, and a delicious friction played between their bodies.

"Is this pace good?" Sirius whispered, between kisses.

"Harder," Remus replied. He couldn't think straight, he just knew that he wanted more. More Sirius.

Sirius' eyes widened, but he grinned and complied, and the feel of their cocks rubbing together felt amazing, but Remus needed even more. He knew Sirius was still holding back, trying to be careful. He needed to show Sirius that more was good, that Sirius needed to stop being careful with him. He wasn't fragile.

His hands struggled slightly against Sirius'.

"Want to touch you."

Sirius shook his head. "That'll happen tonight. We'll explore each other," he replied. "But I might be using my tongue for that." He leaned in, letting his tongue run over Remus' ear, and Remus let out a groan.

The thought of Sirius' tongue across his body made his legs feel weak. Sirius smirked at the expression on Remus' face, and he thrust a bit harder, hoping that it wasn't too much for Remus, but Remus used that moment to push Sirius back, with them both hitting the other wall, and taking over the pace Sirius had set.

"Mine," he whispered, as he moved against Sirius, watching Sirius' expression. "Mine."

"And you're mine," Sirius murmured. "We're each others."

Remus nodded, his lips on Sirius' neck, resisting the urge to bite down and mark him. He reminded the wolf that it wasn't the right time. He settled for nibbling it instead, knowing there would be small marks, but they would disappear. His thrusts getting harder, causing Sirius to moan with every thrust. He wanted to hear his name again on the pure-blood's lips.

"Faster," Sirius breathed, and Remus complied. "Fuck, Remus," came the word he wanted to hear, and it was his turn to smirk. He let go of Sirius' hands, and they moved to his waist, clutching at him, digging into him tightly, and Remus knew there would be bruises there, but he also knew he'd look at the bruises Sirius left, and think about this moment.

He used his new control to follow a drop of water down Sirius' cheek with his lips.

Sirius' head turned, bringing his lips to Remus', and kissing him desperately, as his body tensed against Remus'.

"Remus," Sirius moaned, softly, unable to hold off any longer. Remus wasn't sure if it was the way Sirius said his name, the look of pleasure on his face that Remus knew he'd be dreaming about, or the feel of Sirius' cum coating their stomachs, but whatever it was, it pushed Remus over the edge and he came with a whisper of Sirius' name.

His head dropped onto Sirius' shoulder as he held himself up. His legs were shaking, all the wanking in the past hadn't prepared him for how intense that would feel.

He stepped back slightly, and let his lips stroke Sirius'. He couldn't begin to tell Sirius how he felt after that, but he was certain that he wanted to do it again and again. He hoped that Sirius felt the same.

The water poured over their bodies, and Remus reached for some bodywash and began to clean Sirius. Sirius' hands were soon on him, washing his stomach, his eyes renewed with lust as his eyes fell on the mess they made.

"If my legs weren't going to give out, I'd have you against the wall again," he said, watching Remus wash himself.

Once they were done, Sirius passed Remus a towel and they dried off. Remus gathered up his clothes, and brought them to his body. Sirius had helped him a few times over the full moons and seen the marks, but this was different.

Sirius caught him as he tried to make his way back to his room.

"I'm not finished with you," Sirius said, and Remus' eyes widened as he turned around. Sirius took his hand and led him to his bedroom.

"That was bold of you, I never expected you to join me, although it was a very welcome surprise."

"I didn't even think," Remus admitted. "One minute I was picturing you taking a shower, and before I knew it, I was in the bathroom, joining you."

"You can join me anytime you like," Sirius said, leading Remus to the bed, and pulling the covers back. They both slid underneath, and Remus moved as close to Sirius as possible. He could feel his cheeks burning. He was still shocked at what he had just done.

Sirius pulled Remus' chin up so their eyes met. "That was amazing, are you okay with what happened?"

Remus nodded.

"Well, stop being so shy, we can take it back a level and wait to do that again, if that's what you want?"

"No, no going back, I like this new level... I just don't know what to say after that," Remus admitted.

"Thank you for the most pleasurable moment of my life, please do it again?"

"Those are the exact words I was looking for," Remus replied, taking Sirius' hand. He hid his smile. "Thank you, Sirius, for the most pleasurable moment of my life, please do it again."

"Since you asked so nicely," Sirius said, pushing the covers off and bringing his leg over Remus so he was straddling him. Remus pulled Sirius' face down to meet his, already hardening at the sight in front of him, and their lips met, as Sirius' fingers brushed over Remus' erection, which he started stroking slowly. Remus let out a moan, reaching for Sirius.

"I wasn't just saying that because you told me to, it really was amazing," Remus said. "I just can't think why I've made us wait so long to touch each other."

Sirius grinned at him, pressing his body down so they could feel each other again.

**...oOo...**

"This is the last flat on the list," the estate agent said, opening the door, allowing the four to enter. "It has two bedrooms, two bathrooms - one of which is an en-suite, as requested."

"Mind if we look around ourselves," Sirius asked, and the estate agent nodded, having been asked that in each place he showed them.

"That doorway leads to the other hallway, which leads to the bathrooms and bedrooms, and a cupboard, and the door on the left is the kitchen."

Sirius led the way towards the bedrooms, the other three following behind.

He went into the bigger bedroom and noticed a door to the en suite. He threw the door open, and was delighted to see the shower right in front of him. He walked backwards until he hit the wall. "We'll put the bed here, that way if you're in the shower when I wake up, I can watch you before I join you," he said, and Remus smiled.

"Right, well we're going to check out our room," Lily said, pulling James from the room.

"Sirius... I've been meaning to talk to you," Remus said, shutting the door, and leaning against it.

Sirius turned his gaze away from the bathroom, hearing the nervousness of Remus' voice.

"Whats up, love?"

"Before we sign for this place... I'm not sure about all this."

Sirius moved from the wall, to get closer to Remus.

"What aren't you sure about?" Sirius asked, softly, although he was panicking inside.

"Sirius. I love you..." Remus began nervously.

"Why do I sense a but? You're not... you're not breaking up with me, are you?"

Remus was silent for a minute, and Sirius grabbed his hand.

"I know you want to be with me, Remus, you just said you love me, whatever the problem, we'll fix it, just don't dump me, I love you." He moved closer to Remus. "Please Remus, give me a chance to fix whatever's wrong - whatever I've done wrong. Have I upset you, hurt you in some way? Have I pushed you too much to do stuff, because I'll do anything to be with you."

"No, you haven't done anything, every moment with you has been perfect. I just might not have a choice, you might not want to be with me when you find out and I won't blame you, it's too much to ask of you, after all."

Sirius shifted even closer. "Remus, talk to me," he demanded. "At least tell me the problem so I can tell you how silly your being. I know you'd never cheat on me, and I can't think of any other reason why this would end."

"If we stay together, we'll have sex."

"I can wait, I'll wait as long as you need, I just want to be with you," Sirius said, urgently. "I love you, please don't break up with me. I don't need sex, I just want to be with you. Just me and you. I need you Remus, please -"

"It's not that, I do want to have sex," Remus quickly interrupted.

Sirius stared at him in confusion, clutching his hands, his face extremely close to Remus'. Remus struggled to explain. He had put it off for a long time, and it had to be done now, before they signed for the new apartment.

"I want to be with you. The problem is... I'll... well, the thing is, I'll want to... no, I'll have no choice but to bite you, to mark you, and you'll be tied to me for life. It's a lot to ask from you, so if you just want to go back to being friends, because I do want to mark you, I want you to be my mate, but it's a lifetime thing, and it's so much to ask of you, to tie yourself to me for life. It's selfish of me to -"

"Then mark me," Sirius said, completely relieved that Remus wasn't ending things. "I want you to. I know all about marking, I want to be your mate. I read about it when I first found out you were a Werewolf, and I hoped that you would choose me."

His hands moved from Remus' hands, instead pulling his body close. "I thought you knew I was in this for the long run. I told you back at Christmas that we'd be married one day. I mentioned having kids together one day, I haven't approached those subjects because I don't want to scare you off, but I see them in our future, but only with you. You think that I'd run at the thought of being marked? Isn't that what marriage is - a lifetime commitment - Remus, I want you to mark me when the day comes, I want to be with you. I love you more than anything."

"Are you sure," Remus asked, nervously, looking a lot more relieved, and Sirius smiled.

"Of course I am," he whispered, his lips on Remus' neck, and his hands pushing under Remus' t-shirt. "Don't you dare scare me like that again, I thought you were trying to leave me."

"I would never leave you," Remus replied, his eyes closing as Sirius' teeth nipped at his collarbone. "I just thought I was asking too much. I love you too."

Sirius brought himself up to Remus' lips again, and rested his forehead against the Werewolf's. "Now, I've heard from James... disturbing I know, didn't want that mental image in my head - but he's informed me that Blow-Jobs feel better than rumoured, you'll have to let me know."

"How will I let you know, I've never - oh," he said, as his trousers were undone, and pulled down, and Sirius' knees hit the floor, and he licked his lips, gazing up at Remus. Remus couldn't bring himself to ask Sirius to stop. They hadn't even moved in, James, Lily and the estate agent were in the next room, but Sirius was on his knees.

How could he say no?

When Sirius' lips wrapped eagerly around him, he stopped thinking and allowed himself to enjoy the intense pleasure of Sirius' amazing mouth and sinful tongue. His hands wound into Sirius' dark hair, and gripped tightly, as the pleasure shot through him quicker than ever before.

Five minutes later, the pair left the bedroom, and Sirius grinned at the three people staring at him knowingly. James was trying not to laugh, Lily was as red as Remus, and Sirius looked quite pleased with himself.

The estate agent wouldn't make eye contact with any of them.

"Well, we really really like this place, I'm happy to sign," Sirius said, looking at James, who nodded.

"You didn't even see the kitchen or any other room," Lily said.

"Right. Well, we saw our bedroom, and bathroom, this is the sitting room..." he trailed off and headed to the door to the kitchen and glimpsed in. "Seems good. I'm happy."

James took the pen and signed the contract, and Sirius reached to take the pen off him.

"Sirius, did you wash your hands afterwards?" Lily hissed, snatching the pen away from James, and holding it away from Sirius.

"Oh dearest Lily, it's not my hands you should be worried about," Sirius said, trying to give her a kiss on the cheek. She slapped him away.

"You two couldn't wait a few hours?" James scolded, amused. "Remus, I thought you had more self-control than that?"

"Actually, I could. It seems that Sirius wasn't impressed with you bragging that you got further with Lily then he's gotten with me, and decided to rectify that."

Lily's horrified face turned to James, who backed away quickly. "I wasn't bragging," he said, his voice high.

"Then how would they know," she screeched.

Remus sighed. "How about we meet you back in the office in an hour. We definitely want this place, we'll do the paperwork there?"

The estate agent nodded and ran from the place, and finally the others calmed down.

"Okay. What do we need to do and buy for this place to make it our home?"

He pulled out a pen and notebook and the others started listing their ideas.

**...oOo...**

Sirius and James proudly led Remus and Lily into the flat. They had not been allowed to enter it since the day they viewed it, and that had been two weeks before.

James and Sirius had decorated the whole place, put together furniture and got everything ready, and when they brought the other two, the place was ready. Remus had offered to help, as did Lily, only to be told that it was a mans job. Remus had protested that he was a man, but the boys had just shaken their heads and told him to spend some time with his mum until the flat was done.

Remus and Lily looked at the living room, where the furniture was awkwardly placed, and Lily let out a sigh, before proceeding to tell the three where to move the furniture to. Once the room had been rearranged, Sirius took Remus' hand and led him to their new bedroom.

"Welcome to our room," Sirius said, wrapping his arms around Remus' waist from behind as they stepped into the room. "You know what's going to happen in here?"

"I've thought about nothing else," Remus admitted. Both him and Sirius had found it hard to not take things further, but now they had left Hogwarts, there was no secret to hide anymore.

Remus looked around the spacious room. He could see that Sirius put a lot of thought into it for him.

He saw the massive bed, bigger than the ones back at Hogwarts, with some red and gold bedsheets, similar to Gryffindor, but much better quality. Remus saw in one corner was a guitar, even though neither of them played, and an amp. There was a bedside table with some magazines featuring pictures of motorcycles, and the other corner had a desk, a comfy looking armchair, that could fit two people, and a bookcase, with all Remus' books from home and from his trunk.

There was also a walk-in wardrobe, that upon inspection, had an enlarging charm set on it.

Remus looked back at Sirius with a smile.

"It's brilliant," he replied. "So, do you play the guitar?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not yet, but I thought you might find it extremely sexy if I did, so I've decided to learn."

"You're extremely sexy already, but I can imagine how turned on I would be watching your fingers work the guitar," Remus said.

"I'll write you a song," Sirius declared. "But for now, put your bag down. We're going to get a takeaway, and see where the night goes."

Remus nodded. He couldn't wait. It had been a struggle to control themselves. He had initially held off because of his condition and the mating bond, but they had talked about it a few times since the day of signing the flat, and they were both ready. He didn't think he could wait any longer now that Sirius had consented to bearing his mark.

An hour later, the four of them sat and ate a takeaway around a dining table that Sirius had picked out, before they headed into the living room and found a movie. James and Lily got up from the sofa, announcing they had tickets to a show, and James shot Sirius a wink on his way out.

"Did you plan for James to leave?" Remus asked, and Sirius nodded. "He'll be gone for a few hours, no pressure, we don't have to do this tonight, but I thought that if we did, than for my marking, we'd want to be alone in the apartment. You know they've been shagging for the past few months, so this is our special night."

Remus nodded, and brought his lips to Sirius', kissing him gently, within minutes, Sirius was laying on the sofa, and Remus was laying on top of him, kissing him, exploring his talented mouth, and allowing access to his sinful tongue. He knew what that mouth and tongue could do, and it wasn't something that he allowed himself to think about - unless he wanted a constant erection.

The kissing quickly led to hands exploring, Sirius' hands had been holding Remus close, but were now stroking over his hips and arse, squeezing it gently, caressing it. Remus was holding himself up with one arm, the other stroking over Sirius' side and stomach.

Soon he was pulling off Sirius' top and his own was removed. The kissing got deeper, and Remus couldn't hold back any longer. He got up from the sofa, and pulled Sirius up, and led him to the bedroom, picking up their t-shirts on the way.

He closed the bedroom door and cast locking and silencing spells on it before turning around to find Sirius laying completely naked on the bed, on his back with an arm under his head and his knee bent, in a pose that he had seen in a magazine that was in the Muggle shop near Remus' mum's house.

Remus fell backwards against the door, and took the dark-haired wizard in, his eyes moving up the body, to the amused expression on his face.

"You're acting like this is the first time you've seen me naked," Sirius said, his hand moving to his erection, which he started to slowly stroke.

Remus undone his trousers, pushing them down past his hips. "And you wouldn't be the same if I was naked, laying across the bed like that?" he asked, his voice husky. He wanted Sirius, badly.

"If you were laying across the bed like this, I certainly wouldn't be standing by the door, my hand or my lips would be on your cock," Sirius stated, and Remus grinned. moving forward quickly, and crawling up the bed until he was on top of Sirius.

He opened his mouth with a smart comeback, but his eyes roved over Sirius' body and he only had one question.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," came the response, and Remus' lips lowered so he could tease Sirius'.

He let Sirius' hands slowly work their way up his sides, and touch across his chest, paying special attention to his nipples. It was only a few days ago that they focused on those, as Sirius, in his exploration, had run his tongue across one, and had delighted in the response of the other boy. Remus allow his lips to explore Sirius' neck, giving a small nip. He couldn't resist tasting the area, and picking the perfect spot to forever hold his mark.

Once he had chosen, he kissed his way down Sirius' shoulders, over his chest and reaching a nipple, which he gently caressed with his tongue.

As his tongue teased the pure-blood, he started thinking how he was going to do this. He was extremely nervous, but excited. He was about to mark Sirius as his. He was going to claim his mate, and he was going to take him and fuck him...

Remus froze.

"We can't," he whispered. "The Wolf, it's too... it's overwhelming. It'll hurt you," Remus told a concerned looking Sirius.

"So what should we do? Do you want to stop?" Sirius said, pulling Remus down on top of him, and holding him tightly.

Remus took a deep breath. "I think for the marking, you'll have to take charge. Once you've been marked, the wolf will calm down, and I'll have my turn on top next time?"

Sirius looked surprised. "Are you sure, you were quite sure that you'd have to be on top to mark me?"

"Well, I'm not going to allow it to control me, and hurt you. You go on top."

"Are you sure?" Sirius asked again, hesitantly. The idea of being inside Remus was something he desperately wanted, but he wanted to be certain that whatever happened, Remus was more than happy for it to go ahead.

"I am," Remus said. "We were going to try it out both ways anyway, all we're doing is switching the order."

Sirius smiled, and kissed Remus on the nose, on his upper lip, before taking Remus' lower lip between his and sucking gently.

"I love you so much," he whispered, and Remus felt he words leave his own mouth, eagerly expressing how he felt about the dark-haired man underneath him, before a leg wrapped around him and gently rolled him over.

"Can we start, can I touch you... there?"

Remus nodded, and Sirius reached for the bedside table, opening a drawer and pulling out a new bottle of lube that he had purchased. He fiddled with the wrapper, throwing it to the floor, and took off the lid, letting some spill onto his fingers.

He gently brought his fingers under Remus, and stroked his hole, just skimming his finger over it, until he felt Remus' stiff body relax, and he gently slid one finger inside, slowly. He paused as Remus tensed, and just allowed him to get used to the intrusion. Once Remus had unclenched, he slid his finger in until it was to his knuckle, and slowly moved it in and out, uncertain at this point of what he was doing.

Remus was blushing deep red, and Sirius smiled, before turning back to the job at hand.

He worked his way up to three fingers, enjoying the feel of Remus around him. He carefully tried to stretch him like the book on gay sex under Remus' bed at school had said. He had read every page, knowing that Remus would have done the same. Seeing the book had excited him, because it told him that sex was on his boyfriends mind, and Sirius would never push him into it, but that didn't mean that he didn't want it badly. But only with Remus.

When Remus looked like he was actually feeling good with his fingers in there, Sirius withdrew them, causing Remus to let out a whimper.

This was the moment they had waited for.

"Condom?" He asked. He didn't want to wear one, he saw no need as he wasn't going to knock Remus up, and as Wizards they didn't pass STD's, but the book said that one should always check.

"Good idea, you don't want to get me pregnant," Remus joked. "No condoms, I want to feel you."

"Good, I didn't want to wear one," Sirius replied, with a smile. "I was just checking with you."

He reached for the bedside table again, grabbing the lube, and started stroking it over himself, hoping that he wouldn't hurt Remus too much. Remus' gaze fell on his hard erection, and he watched Sirius stroke the lube all over it. He wiped his hand on his thigh, before leaning over Remus, letting the tip find Remus' entrance, and watching Remus tense up.

"Please relax, I don't want to hurt you," Sirius begged, and he watched Remus try. His lips met Remus', and he kissed Remus deeply, their tongues dancing together, lips caressing, and he done everything he knew would make Remus forget what was about to happen. Then his hips pushed forward, allowing the tip in, and Remus jumped slightly, and tensed himself.

It was a long and slow process, slowing pushing inside Remus, without exploding at the tightness, and finally he was all the way in. He allowed his eyes to meet Remus' again, before they fell on Remus' hard cock sitting on his stomach. Sirius reached for it, stroking it slowly, until Remus relaxed around him, before gently moving out, slightly and gently pushing back in. His thrusts started gentle and slow, but after a minute, he started increasing how far he was pulling out, and pushing back in, until it felt easier, until Remus relaxed around him.

He leaned down, and whispered words of love in his Werewolf's ear, as he gently thrust into him over and over, until he felt Remus arch beneath him.

"Yes," Remus mumbled, and Sirius realised that he had found what he was looking for, and moved a bit more confidently, taking special care to hit that spot with each stroke, and judging by the look on Remus' face, he was hitting it, over and over, and suddenly he couldn't take it anymore.

His eyes met Remus'.

"I'm not hurting you?" He checked, making sure that Remus was comfortable, and checking if he needed to stay gentle or not.

"No, you can go harder, or faster. Whatever you want, Sirius. I'm close, this is amazing."

Sirius bit his lip, and started thrusting deeper, enjoying seeing his cock slide out of Remus' and see it disappear into him over and over. He felt his body shake in need to finish, and Remus tensed around him, causing him to groan in delight, and as he was about to give up, he felt his back hit the mattress, and Remus on top of him, still filled with his erection, and teeth sunk into the juncture by his neck and shoulder, as he felt Remus cum across his stomach. He followed straight after, emptying himself deep inside Remus, and Remus collapsed on top of him.

He felt a trickling sensation, and reached up to find the source, finding a few drops of blood dripping from where Remus had bit him, the mark having broken skin and starting to sting badly.

It was worth it. He was Remus' mate, and they'd be together forever. It was like marriage, but Werewolf style, and in a few years, they'd do it Wizard Style.

"Werewolf style," Remus muttered, amused, and Sirius realised that he had voiced that out loud.

Remus lifted his body off Sirius slightly, and he bit his lip as he met Sirius' eyes. "What's up, love? Do you need a pain potion, because I have some ready just in case -"

"I... the wolf, it wants me to..." he looked away, embarrassed. "To lick the wound."

Sirius gave a nod, and Remus' mouth ran over it, his tongue stroking it, and Sirius was quickly hardening, and not entirely sure what was happening. All he knew was that Remus' tongue on that spot felt so amazing, he would probably cum from the attention to his mark alone.

His eyes met Remus' again, and the Werewolf grinned, looking at his erection.

"The book was right, if I touch the mark, I can make you aroused instantly."

"Well, you got me aroused, what are you going to do about it?"

Remus' hand reached down, and took Sirius in hand.

"That was amazing, I love you, Sirius."

"I love you too, Remus," Sirius said, as Remus moved down his body, cast a cleaning charm on Sirius' erection, and slid it into his mouth for the first time.

**...oOo...**

An hour later they were asleep in each others arms, the bond not allowing them to stop until Remus had taken his mate, and he had been just as slow and careful as Sirius. The pair had just about enough energy to clean themselves, before passing out, holding each other.

They didn't hear James and Lily returning to the flat, and the next morning, Sirius made sure to walk around topless, so that the pair could see his mark.

"I still got some before you," James commented, his eyes falling on the mark. He received a slap around the head from Lily, who turned back to her breakfast.

"Ah, but do you both have the stamina me and Remus possess?"

"I sure do, I -"

"Remus is a Werewolf, and I'm his mate for a start, lets just say that Werewolves have a lot of stamina. Plus, all he had to do last night was lick my mark and I was close to cumming from that alone. Not that I need the mark to get my horny, I just have to look at Remus... We had sex five times last night, and once when we woke up. Not to mention a lot of foreplay, so if you're trying to make this a competition, I'm afraid you're losing quite badly," Sirius said.

Lily stared at James, her eyebrow raised, daring him to complain.

"It's quality, not quantity," James retorted.

"Is that what you said to Lily when she saw how small you are?" Remus asked.

"You're always picking on me," James grumbled, returning to his breakfast, as Sirius laughed, and Lily tried to hide a smile.

"Plus this is as good as marriage. To a Werewolf, this is a lifetime bond, the same as a Wizarding marriage. So you might have had sex first, but we're the first to be bonded," Sirius pointed out.

"Well, we'll be the first couple to get pregnant," James said, crossing his arms and grinning.

"Actually, there are potions that -" Sirius began, but Remus cut him off.

"Sirius, unless you see yourself taking those potions, I would suggest you quit now."

"Bad Sirius, pissing off the wife already," James joked, before he felt a hard kick to his shin.

"You leave my best friend alone," Lily scolded.

"Since when is he your best friend?"

"Since I don't have one, and you are each others best friend," Lily replied, looking between Sirius and James. "I think Remus is a great best friend."

Remus smiled widely. "I like that, you're my best friend too," he replied to her, his hand resting lightly on hers for a moment.

"Plus, it makes sense for us girls to be best friends," Lily teased, and laughed at Remus' scowl.

"Why am I the woman in this relationship. I'm a Werewolf, I'm supposed to be in charge," Remus complained.

"Don't worry Remus, I'll let you take charge at some point," Sirius joked, and Sirius felt a hand wrap around him, dragging him from the seat.

"I'll show you who's in charge," Remus muttered, and the couple at the table heard the bedroom door bang.

"Silencing spells," James shouted after them, before turning to Lily. "What should we do now?"

"Maybe you could show me who's the man in our relationship," Lily whispered, and before she knew it, she was over James' shoulder, as they made their way to their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter to go.


	21. Chapter 21

Sirius and Remus stood hand in hand, as they peered down at the newborn baby in front of them. Remus picked the dribbling miniature James up carefully, and examined him, sniffing him, before settling him on his arm, satisfied.

"You sniffed him? Is that a Werewolf thing?" James asked.

"No, just making sure he's clean," Remus said, as Sirius poked the fat bundle.

"Quiet little thing, isn't he?" Sirius asked, looking at Lily. She looked exhausted, but smiled.

"For now," she replied.

"What would you have done if he was dirty?" James asked Remus.

"Handed him to Sirius," Remus replied, with a grin.

"That's nice," Sirius grumbled, his arms folded. "So... are you definitely going with Harry?"

The pair nodded.

"Because I have some ideas," Sirius continued.

Lily closed her eyes and leaned back in the bed, but James looked eager to hear them.

"We've settled on Harry," Lily said firmly, and Sirius slid the notebook back into his pocket, looking quite pitiful.

"I researched for nothing," he whined.

James held out his hand. Sirius passed the notebook over, and James read through.

"Where's the list? All I'm finding are random love declarations to Remus," he said. "Oh, and wait, this is a list of places you want to shag Remus in?"

Sirius snatched the book, mumbling about privacy, before turning to the right page and passing it back.

"That was a lot of pages, you really thought that through," James commented. "I never considered a Muggle elevator before, or a changing room... I may have to remember those." He turned his attention to the notebook again. "Mate, these are all names of stars?"

"Yeah, well I was letting you have first pick of the list, and then me and Remus will pick one for our baby."

"Your baby?" James asked, looking confused.

"Our baby?" Remus repeated, just as confused.

Sirius nodded. "Well, I was chatting with Marlene after the meeting yesterday, and she's a bit short on cash. So I was thinking that we could ask her -"

"Did she ask if we were still together, or if you were still gay?"

"That may have come up, yeah," Sirius said, rubbing the back of his neck, and Remus sighed. "Of course I told her I was still gay, and always would be gay, and I showed her my mark," Sirius said. "I show it to everyone, I like them to know that I'm yours."

Remus' lips pressed his cheek. "I love you," he whispered, before moving again. "But really think about it. You want us to ask a girl who wants to get you into bed to have our children? Why don't I owl Michelle? I'm sure she'd be just as happy to do it."

Sirius frowned for a moment, and nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think you'd go for it. I mean, we could go through St. Mungo's, they'd have a list of surrogates, and -"

"I'll do it," Lily interrupted, and three sets of eyes turned to her.

"What?" Sirius asked, in shock.

"Do you really trust a stranger to do this?" She asked. "I said I'd do it. You know I take care of myself, my diet and everything. I don't smoke, I didn't drink a drop of alcohol when pregnant. Plus, I won't want payment, and you know you can trust me."

"Lily, are you sure?" Remus asked, looking between her and James. James looked happy with the idea.

"Surrogates go about their own lives, you don't know what they're doing. At least with me you'll be able to see me when you want, daily updates on the pregnancy when I call you both to shout abuse at you... also when the baby is big enough, they'll want to know how two men had a child. Would you rather tell them that you had the baby from a stranger, and have them search that stranger out, out of curiosity, or would you rather tell them how Aunty Lily helped?"

"I'd rather it be Lily than a stranger. We'd have to disclose my Lycanthropy, and I doubt many women would want to grow a Werewolf baby. I mean, there's absolutely no risk of them getting Lycanthropy themselves, but you know how people can be closed-minded," Remus answered.

"Well, take some time and think -" Sirius began, his eyes full of hope, and his gaze fixed on Lily.

"I have... we both have," Lily said, looking at her husband. "In fact, I know that both of you would make amazing dads, and we've considered this for a few months now. We were just waiting for the right moment to offer."

"Really?" Remus whispered.

James nodded.

"We could make the appointment for a Healer to come and talk us through it before I get discharged," Lily added, her eyes flickering between the two men.

Sirius quickly nodded his head. "Of course I want this. Remus? I mean if Remus wants to wait, I'll wait, but..." he turned to Remus. "What do we do?"

Remus was just staring at him. "Let's go get coffee," he said, carefully passing Harry to James, looking quite dazed. "Lily, James, set up an appointment. We'll be back soon."

**...oOo...**

It was a couple of hours before the pair returned, one of them looking extremely dishevelled.

"So, didn't quite make it to coffee?" Lily asked, amused.

"Remus is insatiable," Sirius said, trying to tidy his hair.

"Your buttons aren't done up properly," James pointed out, and Sirius quickly fixed them, and attempted to straighten his clothes.

Their gazes fell on Remus, who was immaculately dressed.

"Yeah, I was just showing Remus how much I love him," Sirius explained, wincing slightly as he sat down.

Remus smirked.

"Did you Apparate home?" James asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No, there's a ward downstairs that's closed for repairs. We've been in there."

"We did manage to get some talking done too," Remus added. "If you're sure, we want to go ahead with this."

Lily beamed. "We have an appointment in a few hours. A Healer is going to come up here to see us about it."

"So, which of you is going to contribute to this?" James asked, looking between the pair.

"Both of us," Sirius replied. "Because we know we'll love the baby no matter what, and it'll be a nice surprise when the baby is born to see if he has black hair or blonde."

"Or she," Remus added. "The baby might be a girl."

**...oOo...**

"Andrew, before we get married, I've been keeping something from you," Hope said.

Andrew looked concerned, his eyes flicking between Hope, Remus and Sirius.

"Actually, it's more my secret," Remus said. "It's quite unbelievable really, but... do you believe in magic?"

"Like on TV with the magicians, and -"

"No," Remus said.

"Maybe a practical demonstration?" Sirius whispered.

"Right, what should I do, and before you say it, I doubt my mum wants me to blow anything up," Remus replied.

Sirius took out his wand, and Andrew watched as the wooden kitchen chair slowly transformed into a soft armchair.

Andrew stared at the chair for a long time, looking extremely confused.

"Andrew, that's not it. We went to a school that taught us all this," Remus explained.

"Wow," Andrew said. "What's the trick?"

Sirius grinned, and with a quick swish of his wand, Andrew was up in the air. Sirius lowered him quickly, and Andrew sank down onto the sofa.

"Can you do these things too, Hope?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly, and she shook her head.

"I'm not magic, Remus got it from his father, and Sirius' family are like royalty in that world."

"So there's this whole other world?" Andrew asked, and Hope nodded. Andrew took the first bit of news better than expected; he hadn't run away screaming.

"So, Andrew, there are also magical creatures. Things like Unicorns and Centaurs exist," Remus said.

"Centaurs are half horse, half man things?"

Remus nodded.

"Also Vampires, Griffins, Werewolves..." Sirius added, sharing a look with Remus and Hope.

Andrew looked shocked.

"Mermaids?"

Sirius nodded at him.

"And... I'm a magical creature," Remus said.

Andrew stared at him for a long time. "What... are you?"

"He's human," Hope said defensively. "One night a month, he's a wolf."

"I'm a Werewolf," Remus explained.

Andrew continued to stare at him, and Remus pulled off his t-shirt, ignoring the lustful looks Sirius was shooting him. He showed the bite to Andrew.

"I'm his mate," Sirius said, showing the mark on his neck.

"I was bitten when I was five," Remus began. "My father worked for the Ministry - similar to your Government, and insulted a cruel and sadistic monster Werewolf who liked to attack children, so he came to kill me. My father got him away before I died, but he never treated me the same again. He convinced my Mum that Werewolves were all evil, and that eventually I'd turn on them, and she was terrified of me. I believe Mum honestly didn't know any better. I finally snapped and told my father that I was done with him, and a few months later, I was attacked in school, they used an Unforgivable on me."

"An unforgivable what?" Andrew asked, looking dazed.

"Boys, I'll explain everything to Andrew. I'll stop over to your place later?" she said, and they nodded. "Will Lily be there? I want to see how she is doing, see if she needs any help, I can come over after work any day she needs me."

"She's fine," Sirius said. "Yeah, I think they are coming over for dinner. You're both welcome too."

"Andrew, you can't tell anyone about our world," Remus said, and Andrew nodded. They both gave Hope a quick hug before walking over to the fireplace.

Andrew looked shocked as they climbed into the fireplace, threw down some powder, and disappeared.

"That's Floo powder," Hope began to explain.

**...oOo...**

"You can go in now," the Healer said, and Sirius and Remus ran to the door, throwing it open, and rushed towards the bed. Harry was held tightly in Sirius' arms.

They looked on in awe at the small bundle in Lily's arms. They both desperately wanted to reach out and take the baby. Their baby.

"She'll need milk," Lily said. "I'll express enough for her, and all you'll need to do is warm the bottles up. Remus, you know how to do all of it already, since you've been helping with Harry since I got pregnant. Just pop over every other day and I'll have some for you."

"She? It's a girl?" Sirius asked, in awe.

James grinned. "Little girl, and it's clear who's genes she has."

They looked down at the sleeping bundle, and Sirius clutched Harry a little bit tighter as his eyes fell on her.

"She's beautiful. Welcome to the world, baby Lupin-Black," Sirius said, leaning closer to the baby.

"You are an amazing woman," Remus said, kissing Lily on her cheek. "I can't even begin to thank you for doing this for us. For giving us a child."

"Do you want to hold her? She's yours, after all. I'm just Aunty Lily. I'll get a chance to hold her again soon enough," she said. "She'll have to stay in a couple of days to make sure she's alright, she's quite premature after all."

James reached out and took Harry from Sirius' arms, and Sirius reached carefully for the newborn.

"Thank you," he whispered, his eyes flickering to Lily, before he looked back at his daughter. He moved away from the bed, and Remus enlarged the chair so the three of them could sit together.

"I'm a dad?" he said, in shock. "I mean, it didn't feel real before. It still doesn't. She's ours," Sirius said in awe.

"She's perfect," Remus whispered, reaching to stroke her cheek with his finger. "Look at how squishy she is."

"I can't wait for her and Harry to learn what it is to be a Marauder at Hogwarts," James said.

"She's going to be a nerd. She's got Remus' genes, and Lily's. We'll have to get a house with a library. What colour are her eyes?"

"Amber," Lily answered. "She's identical to Remus. It's actually a spell they offered to me, I wanted to surprise you. It's only available to surrogates, it influences the father's genes in the way the baby looks, so the baby will look more like Remus than me."

"She's beautiful," Sirius said, passing the baby to Remus, who put his nose into her neck and nuzzled gently, sniffing her.

"Wolf thing?" James asked, and Remus nodded his head. He finally moved his nose from her. "Just familiarizing myself with her scent," he said, allowing Sirius to take her back for a cuddle. Her eyes opened, and she went red.

"Fuck, she's loud. She kinda looks like Lily when she's angry," Sirius said, and James came closer.

"She really does," he said. They all looked at Lily, who was glaring in their direction.

"Yeah, I see it too," Remus agreed.

James looked back at the baby. "Lily, should we have a girl next?"

"Are you kidding me right now, Potter? I've popped out two babies in the space of a year, and you want me to somehow handle a third? You better keep that thing between your legs away from me for a long while."

**...oOo...**

"Remus Lupin," came a voice, and Remus spun around, his wand pointed at the man with the familiar voice.

"Azkaban hasn't been kind to you," Remus stated, taking in the gaunt looking man. He had never forgotten him, but his eyes were haunted now. His time in Azkaban had changed him.

"You put me there," he replied, his voice not much more than a croak.

"You put yourself there," Remus snapped, disgusted at the man in front of him.

Another figure appeared behind him, and Remus had two wands on him.

"Crucio," the newcomer said, forcing Remus to drop to the floor.

"When the Dark Lord wins, you'll be my prize, Lupin," Antonin Dolohov croaked. "Don't kill him, Peter. I want him alive."

Suddenly, Peter hit the floor, unconscious. His wand disappeared from his hand.

"He's mine," Sirius roared. "Touch him and I'll kill you."

Antonin's wand was still pointed at Remus. He had the advantage of hurting Remus, should Sirius shoot a spell. Sirius stood with his wand pointed, hoping for a chance to hurt Dolohov before anything else happened. He knew Antonin had searched Remus out, and knew that he wouldn't hurt Remus unless Sirius tried to curse him first.

"So tell me, Remus, how did you resist the Imperio? I've wondered that for a long time. I also want to know if you could resist it again?"

"Maybe you're not very good at magic, why don't you try again and find out?" Remus spat, slowly shifting on the floor, his eyes on the wand pointed at him.

Antonin moved closer, and Sirius gritted his teeth.

"The Dark Lord will accept you, Remus," Antonin said softly. "Join us, it'll ensure your life."

"Sirius," came a low voice, and Remus looked to see a wand pointed at Sirius. He quickly tried to think of a plan. Sirius raised an eyebrow at the figure, and smiled.

"Spare him, and I'll go with you," Remus said. "Don't hurt Sirius." He wasn't quite sure why Sirius was smiling at the Death Eater.

"Remus, you can't be serious?"

"You owe me for that," Remus said. "But think of Adrastea, better one of us returns, than none at all."

"There's no way that bastard is touching you," he replied, before looking at the man next to him. "You don't have to do this, Reggie," he whispered. "We've got a little girl, Adrastea. She needs us." His brother's hand was shaking slightly, uncertain on where to point his wand.

Antonin moved towards Remus, pulling him up roughly.

"I still think I could break you," Antonin smirked, and Remus' mouth curved up, looking behind him, watching the Death Eater who had his wand pointed at Sirius raise his mask, revealing a pair of grey eyes, and some black hair.

"That's her name? Adrastea, she's my niece? I have a niece?"

Sirius nodded, and Regulus turned his wand towards Dolohov.

"I never wanted this," Regulus said softly. "I didn't have a choice, please tell them when it comes to my trial. Maybe I can... can I see her before they take me away?"

Sirius nodded slightly again, a small smile on his lips, as his wand pointed the same way as his brother's. "I'll make sure they all know that you saved us, that you changed sides before Voldemort fell. Plus, signing your initials on that note with the locket... I'm sure that will be enough to keep you from Azkaban."

Remus was facing Antonin, and before Dolohov knew what was happening, Remus gave in to his wolf. Antonin found himself against the wall, a hand closed around his throat, and a pair of flashing yellow eyes staring into his own. The grip increased, and he was slowly dragged up the wall, his feet dangling uselessly.

"Now, what should I do with you? I could rip you to shreds. A well placed bite could ruin your life, and disfigure you, but that would do me more harm than it would do you. You'd be the poor victim of a vicious beast."

The grip tightened again.

"I could slowly cut off your air supply," Remus said, considering his options.

"What's happening to your eyes?"

"Did I say you could talk?" Remus growled.

"Fuck Remus, you know what it does to me when you say that," Sirius groaned. "Stop teasing me."

Remus' eyes flashed again, and Antonin went pale. "Werewolf," he said, accusingly. "You're a fucking monster."

Remus laughed at the look on the Death Eater's face, and he let the man drop to the floor. "Not as much as you are," he replied. "He's all yours, love," he said, and stepped back, taking Dolohov's wand with him.

Sirius quickly bound him, and knocked him unconscious. He crouched over him for a couple of minutes, whispering spells, and stepped back, satisfied.

"What did you do?"

"Well, let's just say if he manages to escape and find a new victim... well, he's not going to be able to do anything to them," Sirius grinned. "It'll take a look through the Black library to find the cure." He ripped the mask from his brother's grip, throwing it to the floor. "You don't need that anymore, let people see you fight with us, it'll help your case."

They rushed from the corridor, down to the Great Hall, where James Potter and Severus Snape were duelling the Carrow siblings. The three newcomers helped make quick work of the pair, and Severus glanced at Regulus in surprise.

"So you've done it, then? I worried when you went looking for your brother -" Snape began.

"That I'd hurt him? I admit that part of me wanted to, but the rest... he's still my brother," Regulus interrupted.

Sirius ruffled Regulus' hair, and Regulus batted his hand away, with a huff.

"And Barty?" Severus asked, and Regulus' gaze dropped.

"I... I have to do what's right. Maybe I can convince him..." he whispered uncertainly.

"Barty Crouch?" Sirius asked. "What about him?"

Regulus blushed and Remus nudged Sirius. "I think you and your brother have more in common than you think," he mumbled.

"You like blokes? Well, that explains where the magazines went. Here I thought Kretcher had stolen them."

"You have failed to give me the boys," came a loud voice, ringing through their heads. "I asked you for the Potter and Longbottom heirs, and should I receive them, you shall all live. Failure to hand them over will result in your deaths."

"Let's finish this," James said, walking from the room, his wand ready as he made his way to the courtyard.

Standing facing Voldemort was Albus Dumbledore, his wand outstretched.

"You are just a man, Tom. We've found and destroyed all your Horcruxes."

Voldemort looked worried, and the trio and Frank grinned at each other. It had been easy once James had pulled the sword from the Sorting Hat. The snake wasn't so easy, but Remus had taken of that, as some animals tended to fear him, and the snake had been no different. He managed to force the snake into a trap set, and Sirius had sliced the creature's head off.

The Death Eaters scattered, as Voldemort and Dumbledore's wands began shooting spells. Red and green lights lit the sky, and some Death Eaters backed away from the battle. The five of them, joined by Frank Longbottom, moved forward, and dived into battle, Regulus' eyes wide as his wand pointed at Barty Crouch.

**...oOo...**

They all surveyed the handsome man laying on the ground.

"I just thought... after everything, he'd pull some crazy stunts, but he's just like the rest of us," James said.

"I don't know, I found this battle enjoyable," Remus said, his gaze falling on Greyback. "He doesn't seem so powerful anymore, does he?"

"He can't hurt any other child either," Sirius added, kicking the evil Werewolf in the side, before taking Remus' hand. "Shame no-one did that back fifteen years ago." His gaze moved up to the other side of Greyback, where Lyall Lupin was staring down at the body. Their eyes met, and both men turned away from each other.

"Okay, we should gather up the remaining Death Eaters, and get them to the Ministry," Charlus ordered. "Severus, Regulus, we'll need you both to come. You'll have to be held at the Ministry, but you'll get a fair trial, and your change of side will definitely be taken into account."

"I'll be sure to let everyone know your roles," Dumbledore confirmed, coming over, his eyes lingering on the pair. "I'll speak for you both."

Regulus stared at the bound man by his feet. He had begged Barty during the battle to change sides, but Barty was not swayed. Regulus had had to do what was right, and took advantage of the Death Eater's reluctance to kill him by bounding him to be taken with the rest. It hurt more than anything, but Sirius was his brother. They were close once, and they could be again. His brother had a daughter, and he wanted more than anything to meet her.

Kingsley walked over, and took Severus and Regulus' arms.

"Make sure they aren't thrown in with the rest, that's an order," Charlus said, before Kingsley Apparated with the two men.

The remaining Order Members began searching the castle for Death Eaters and anyone with injuries, Apparating the Death Eaters away, and bringing the injured to the Hospital wing where Madame Pomfrey and Alice Longbottom were trying their best to heal them.

By the time they were finished, it was early hours of the morning.

"Can we go see our baby?" Sirius asked, eagerly. James shook his head. "Dad said that he'll bring us through tomorrow afternoon," he replied. "I haven't seen Lily and Harry in six months, I suppose I can survive another day."

"Plus we look like crap," Remus added, looking down at his blood stained clothes. "We should go back, clean up and get some sleep, so we're all good for tomorrow."

**...oOo...**

The next day, Charlus came to the flat to find the three men pacing around in their travelling cloaks. Within seconds they were out of the door, ready to apparate.

"Godric's Hollow, apparate to the Church," Charlus said, and the four men found themselves standing next to the graveyard. Charlus showed them the address, and they walked, watching a house appear in front of them. "I'm going to go and get Alice and Frank now," Charlus called after them, as the men ran to the house.

Remus reached it first, and knocked on the door. "It's Remus," he shouted.

"What happened that morning at the Potters' house when you were late for breakfast?" Came the question through the door.

"You walked in on me and Sirius, naked. You saw his perfect arse. What did you think we should name Adrastea?"

"I agreed with Adrastea, although your insane husband wanted to call her Vega," Lily replied, before opening the door, letting Remus in.

"I wanted to join you, I thought you'd - one of you would... is James alright? Sirius? Frank and Alice?"

"James is fine, he's just not as quick as me," Remus replied, nodding outside where James was rushing up the path. Me and Sirius had help from Regulus, Frank and Alice are safe too. Voldemort is finally gone. There was a body, and all the Horcruxes were found."

Lily fell into James' arms, and he held her tightly, minding her large bump.

"Severus?"

"He changed sides," James told her. "Same as Regulus. Dad and Dumbledore are going to speak at their trials."

"Boys? I thought I heard you," came Hope's voice, and she came into the room, the three children following her. Harry walking, pulling Neville along, Neville trying to pull his arm back, glaring at the other toddler, with Adrastea crawling after them. She spotted Remus, and her route changed, until she had a handful of the bottom of his jeans and was trying to put it into her mouth along with her fingers.

Remus picked her up, and wrapped her up in his arms. "Daddy's back, my beautiful baby," he told her. "I won't leave you again, unless it's a full moon. We can go home now."

"Da," she whimpered into his chest, leaving a patch of dribble.

"Yes, Da," he confirmed, sitting down with her, Sirius sitting on his other side, Neville on his lap.

Harry was in James' arms, babbling away to him, gesturing to the toy truck in his hand, and Neville stared up at Remus and Sirius curiously.

Lily smiled and handed Remus a book, and Remus started reading. James sat down on the other side of Remus, and Harry and Neville leaned closer to look at the pictures in the book, both reaching for it, and attempting to tear a page out, not knowing about the spells on the books to prevent children ripping them.

When the book was finished, Remus passed Addi to Sirius, and James moved back over to Lily, putting his arms around her again. "I'm never letting you disappear again," he said. "I should have been secret keeper."

"Your father insisted," Lily pointed out. "You were the one that agreed to let him be."

"Only because Sirius said that I was too obvious a choice, and so was him and Remus, " James argued.

"I've missed you," Lily said, pulling James close again.

"Da?" Adrastea whispered, looking up at Sirius, and he grinned down at her. "That's right, Princess, we're both Daddy."

Remus smiled. "Can we take her home?"

Dorea nodded. "Everyone go to your homes, take a few days, and I expect to see you all for dinner at mine on Sunday. Hope is cooking gammon."

Remus and Sirius waved goodbye, and headed home, seeing Alice and Frank rushing towards the house, desperate to see Neville. It was hard to give up your child, even if they were in safe hands with Lily, Hope, Andrew and Dorea, and with visits from Charlus, but it made sense for them to go into hiding together, so the rest of them could fight and keep them safe.

The pair walked into their home, with Addi clutched to Sirius' chest. The house was immaculate. Remus had kept it that way, not knowing when the day would come when they would be bringing their little girl home.

They had only had her for a few months before Voldemort made it known that he was after Harry due to a prophecy. The group were terrified, and it was decided that Lily would go into hiding. Dorea had quickly offered to stay with her, allowing James to continue to fight to keep his son safe.

Less than a month after Lily had gone into hiding, Death Eaters turned up at the Longbottoms', coming after Neville, and the Lupin-Blacks, having assumed that Sirius was the Secret Keeper. The next day, Charlus took Neville and Adrastea, and brought them to Lily to keep them safe. Hope and Andrew also went to stay with them to help.

Addi had never had a chance to settle into their home, but now they could settle down properly, and make up for missing most of their daughter's short life. It would be normal. Spending time together as a family, having dinner at Dorea's every Sunday, when she and Hope took turns to cook. Catching up with the Longbottoms, spending every other day at James and Lily's, and maybe even seeing Regulus often.

They ended up back on the sofa, Sirius passing their daughter carefully to Remus, and pulling Remus as close to him as possible.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Sirius murmured.

"At least four times today," Remus replied. "And I love you, more than anything... well, almost anything, I think you may be competing with Addi for top spot now."

"I'm only willing to share that with her," Sirius replied. "No-one else."

"What about... if we had another one?" Remus asked shyly.

"What do you mean 'what about'? You know I'd never say no to expanding our little family," Sirius agreed. "Imagine another baby, a little boy perhaps, with amber eyes, and -"

"I was thinking that we'll just give yours for the next one," Remus said, smiling. "Let's give it a year or so before we bring it up with Lily."

"I'd like that," Sirius replied. "Though you know it doesn't make a difference."

Remus leaned against him, content in Sirius' arms. They looked down at the baby, who was staring back, her amber eyes moving between their gazes, exploring their faces in curiosity.

"This right here, what we have, our relationship, our home, our families and extended families... it's perfect. I remember a time when I thought I'd never have anything. I thought that I didn't deserve anything."

"Until I pushed my way into your life and turned it upside down, because that's what you needed - someone to show you that you deserve to be happy. Now look at you, you're mated, you're a father, you've got great friends," Sirius added.

"All thanks to you," Remus whispered, kissing his mate on the cheek, and adjusting Addi as her eyes started to close again. "It's perfect."


End file.
